Do you have any kids?
I have two grown daughters and five grandchildren? When I taught I used to tell the class: "I love girls because I have two at home. [The girls in the class would then smile.] And I love boys because I am one. [Then the boys would cheer.]" Now I have five grandchildren — Ricky, David, Ryan, Megan, and Matt.
Why do you like to write poetry?
Poetry gives you a chance to write about anything and to get your feelings out. It's very important for you to get your feelings out! Why not do it on paper or some other creative way? I also don't feel I really know something unless I write about it.
Did you always like to write?
When I first started school I had trouble learning how to read and learning my math facts. I was also left-handed which meant my hand would pass over my words and make them look messy. My work had smears here and smears there. I didn't always like school either.
Why did you ever become a teacher if you didn't like school?
The wonderful thing about life is that it changes and we change. I eventually fell in love with books and reading. I read many books about kids growing up. By the end of the book the main character's life always got better. That's what I wanted for me: a better life, but I never forgot what it was like to be a kid and struggle to please my teachers and parents. When I went to college, I decided to be a teacher and help all the students, especially the ones that sit in the back of the classroom and dare you to care about them.
Did you like teaching?
I loved teaching. Every day was exciting — and an adventure of the mind and spirit. And I read a lot to my students, particularly books by Judy Blume and poetry by Shel Silverstein. I used poetry as much as I could in the classroom. Then I started writing poetry and sharing it with my students. They suggested that I publish it, and Bathroom Vacation and Other Poems was born with the help of a talented artist, Lori DeLeonardis-Aman. Then a revised version of that book followed, Picture Poetry on Parade! That book was published online by Booklocker, Inc. Throughout the years I taught students to write many different types of poems and how to write effective essays. I love doing poetry performances and writing workshops.
Where do you ideas for poems come from?
My ideas come from teaching, being a parent, and being a kid. I have many childhood memories that have inspired my poetry. Ask me about any poem in Picture Poetry on Parade! and I can tell you where the idea came from. Kids love the gross guy on page 58, "Hoover." As a child my brother ate so fast that I nicknamed him after the Hoover vacuum cleaner. And he still eats like one.
Why did you stop teaching?
Part of me felt like it was time for me to get on with the Second Part of My Life — writing. I wanted more time to write. I feel as if I haven't really left the world of teaching. I tutor students who have been suspended from school several hours each day after regular classes at the local high school. I write essays for adults. And, of course, I write poems and stories for children. Everything I write has some sort of life "lesson" built into it. So I am still teaching in a sense.
What is your best advice to give kids that like to write?
Read, read, and read! Then write what your care about — what burns in your heart, what matters the most to you. Let it out! Share it with those you trust who respect you. And write about what you want to know more about. In the process you will become happier, healthier, and a better person.