auburn writers, part two

It rained. All day. I got lost. Twice. Thank goodness for cell phones.
I blew in breathless, to a room full of waiting-for-me students, at Wright's Mill Road Elementary School. Took a few minutes to get my bearings and work around technology glitches (they are inevitable!). Librarian Jennifer kept her cool, teachers and students were patient, and we bobbled until we could stride. It was good work, even though the author was rather damp.
Jennifer rummaged and found an umbrella for me. I scooted to Ogletree Elementary. Got lost. Used my cell phone. Found my way. Teeming rain. Used my umbrella. No one laughed at me:
Was greeted by Melba Jane!
And Honey Jackson! AND... Eudora Welty! And another shining sea of young writers.And their teachers. Thank you, teachers. What a difference it makes when you model for your students and write your stories, too.Drove home through the white-out rain, and got to Hotlanta about 7pm. Flopped across my good bed, and blathered to Jim about my day. As I talked, I realized, I want to better understand the gargantuan effort librarians go through to organize and collaborate with an entire school population and bring a teaching author to school.

There are just so many, many details. Everyone has to be on board. Books have to be shared. Students -- and teachers -- need to be prepared. Budgets have to be considered. Then, schedules are re-arranged (many times). Instructional time is given over to a visiting author, and all kinds of technology is put into place for a day like this to happen. And I know to my bones that I am only scratching the surface. I know it.

Thank you, Audrey Alsobrook, librarian at Ogletree, and Jennifer Dempsey, librarian at Wright's Mill Road. Thank you to your assistants. Thank you to the principals who said yes, to the teachers who read to their students, to those who created the buzz-buzz-buzz, to the students who worked hard in assembly, and to all the behind-the-scenes people -- Coach Cooper, I'm thinking about you, for one -- and thanks so much for all the LAUGHS as well. I mean that. We did laugh, didn't we? It's such a good way to learn.

I'll come back to Auburn anytime. Thanks for taking such good care of me.

Thanks, Barb Saba, for these Peach Shuggars cookies. They look like buttons! And... is that a hint of lemon zest I taste?
I've got tomorrow home, and then more travel. First... cookies and milk. I deserve it! We ALL deserve it. We have worked so hard! Let's all have milk and cookies tonight. Peach Shuggars would approve.