Description:
"IGNITION" is about a first year teacher.
Karen Woolsworth who was given (in her mind) an excellent opportunity to work in a school and educate the young minds of today. However, little did she know that teaching led to her nightmare rather than her paradise. One troubled student, Kevin Connelly, becomes part of her obsession that she cannot focus on anything else. A teen that has a disturbing past. Kevin is a representation of the typical student that educators face every day around the world. Karen is left feeling alone in the world and fearing for her life with no support from administrators. Ms. Crowe, the Assistant Principal, is a woman who follows Karen's every move like a bird. Instead of a dove she becomes a vulture who eats away at the mental psyche and emotional stamina of Karen's well-being.
The only salvation in this pool of chaos is Billy, her husband. However, he has difficulty relating and understanding the educational dilemmas which Karen faces. The constant struggles that Karen encounters to balance her life as a teacher and wife weigh her down daily.
This book is a rollercoaster filled with emotional ups and downs until the ride ends.
This novella is unique for its alternate endings and you get to choose exactly how Karen's ride ends.
GUEST POST
When I begin my novel, I never know what or who is going to enter into my imaginary world. I love writing and have never pre-determined the characters within my novel. However, I generally make my mind up about my main character; his or her name, where she/he is from, what their personality is like, etc. When I started Ignition: An Educator’s Journey, I pretty much knew my main character was Karen Woolsworth. I wanted her to have a husband, Billy and an assistant principal, Ms. Crowe. I also wanted her to have a stressful, challenging student, Kevin Connelly. However, all my other characters started to slowly come to life. I think it must be difficult to map out all the characters when writing either a novel or a novella. For me, I never know what is going to happen next. I think that is why I enjoy writing so much. I love to have the power to help characters come to life and when I am truly able to envision them, I know I have done my job. I only hope that my readers understand and have a certain emotion for my characters. I am currently writing Part 2 to Ignition: An Educator’s Journey. I am not even sure as to what the title will be. I do have two to three characters set in my mind. However, I have no idea whom I am going to add into the Charles Dickens School. I am not sure which new characters will join the treacherous world of teaching. I look forward to creating new lives; new characters that I hope my readers will be interested in learning more about.
EXCERPT
A New Journey
August 24, was a magical day for me. Not magical in the sense of wizards and sorcerers, but rather in the sense that I, Karen Woolsworth, landed my first teaching position.
I was so excited. I could not wait to go home and tell Billy, my husband, that all that hard work paid off. Two long years of rigorous graduate school, finally over. Taking all those teaching exams and suffering for hours with a proctor staring at you, sizing you up while tapping her pencil, and distracting your every thought when you needed to be in control at that time.
The day started out dreary. I woke up to rain. I spilled coffee on one of my suits and had to go to the interview in my navy blue suit and white blouse. It was not my favorite, but it had to do. I hoped that spilling coffee on my suit did not mean bad luck.
That morning, my curly dark hair stood as frizzy as can be. I felt like a cat that just had gone through a car wash. Imagine how he would look. Well, the spilled coffee delayed me a bit, but I raced for my interview as fast as a jaguar runs and I made it right on time. I was lucky that I did not get a speeding ticket. Billy would have been quite upset if I had. I also would have missed the job interview. Oh, what a shame that would have been!
When I arrived at West Street and Ninth Avenue, my nightmare began. There stood a lonely building called, The Charles Dickens School. This was a five-story building with fifteen-hundred students. The school consists of sixth through eighth graders. I was able to see that this was an old, musty building with no elevator. As I walked into the horrific huge school, I felt so small, but there was an aroma of endearing books, which made me feel quite elated. I was in awe. I grew up in the suburbs. I had never been inside an urban school. This was quite an adventure for me. I was so excited and nervous. As I walked up the three small steps, I was greeted by security, a man in a blue uniform. I gave him my driver’s license as proof of ID and signed in. He told me to turn right at the first door and on the left was the main office. I would then have to meet with the principal. I thanked him and went on my way. As I walked down the long narrow corridor, I remember my heart was beating very fast and my palms felt sweaty. It reminded me of a first date, but much worse. The principal, Mr. Scott, a tall man with a mustache, asked me many questions. He started the interview in a friendly manner by shaking my hand and asking me if I found the school okay. At this point, I remember that his smile turned into more of a serious face, as if to say, “Let’s begin.”
He asked me, “What made you want to go into teaching?” I do not even remember what I answered him, but he must have been pleased with my response. During the interview, there was another person in the room as well. This person happened to be an assistant principal. She was on the large side with curly short blond hair. Her glasses hugged her ears tightly. She was the one who asked some tough questions. She had a poker face on the entire time and did not crack a smile once. Her name, I will never forget was Ms. Crowe. She reminded me of a spectacle-wearing shark staring at a guppy. I guess that you can guess who I was in that scenario: the guppy. I remember Ms. Crowe’s last question was one of the toughest.
“How would you prepare your students for the statewide exam?”
I must have looked at them dumbfounded. I could not believe this question. I had just graduated from my master’s program. I had never taught before. I did not know what to say.
At that moment, a magical thing happened. The principal’s secretary came in and interrupted us, saying that he had an urgent call from his wife. He told me that I have the job. Naturally, I accepted the job with alacrity. He then excused himself. If I had had time to answer the question, I believe that I would not have gotten that job. He informed me that I would have to teach a self-contained eighth-grade class which meant that I would have to teach the same children throughout the day. My only hope at this point was that my students would be great and not horrific.
I thanked him and walked out of his tight, stuffy office, leaving him and the shark behind. As I walked out the door, I felt relieved that it was over and my teaching career would begin. The following week I would start and I could not wait. I was overjoyed that I felt like skipping down the block. However, in case the principal should glance out the window, I knew I had to maintain self-control and save that giddy emotion for when I got home.
About the author:
My name is Michelle Arrose. I am currently a teacher. I enjoy writing and completed a short-novel titled, "IGNITION" Throughout my entire life I have always felt inspired to write. I also am a strong believer in being a teacher advocate. If my novella could help educate people as to the hardships educators face today, then I would be extremely elated. This is my first novella and hope you enjoy it. I also set up a blog. Feel free to follow me as I continue to write many more literary works.
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