My Inner Child Wants to Thank a Marvelous Teacher

Do you have an amazing teacher who left an indelible mark on you in immeasurable ways? I am blessed to have a few in my lifetime. One such teacher was my EXCELS (gifted and talented) teacher in elementary school. I looked forward to spending my Wednesdays in her trailer at Hilton Head Elementary. It was a magical place, that trailer.



USCB Lunch with Author Series Mar 4, 2009. Another
amazing former teacher of mine (Calculus) Jane Upshaw,
me, and Sunny Littlejohn on right.



Sunny Littlejohn exposed me to what the world has to offer--food and mythology, other cultures, wordplay--and piqued my appetite for them. We've gotten back in touch and she recently found in some of her belongings a poem, of all things, that I wrote in her class in 1983 when I was 11 years old (for those of you counting). I must have been in fourth grade. It is by no means gifted nor talented, but I can see she must have realized and fostered my love for the sweet ironies in life...and afterlife. Not to mention the ocean :) All things I explore in my novels today.

Enjoy the writings of my inner child below:

Creatures of the Sea (by Nicole Seitz, age 11)
It gleams in the moonlight
Wet and filled with life.
The sand dollar buys no food;
The urchin is found not on the streets.
But the creatures with fins and scales
Can be found in schools.

Starfish are not found in the sky at night
Nor does the sunfish, in the day, shine so bright.
Horseshoe crabs don't get trampled,
Pounded on the horses' feet.
Angelfish never die and go to God's home place.
Rainbow fish aren't found in skies.
You do not play guitar fish.
Goldfish are not expensive.
Silverfish are not worthwhile.
But people love this place so much
They become oceanographers.

I know, leaves you breathless, right? So much for satisfying endings. I assure you I've gotten better at those! But apparently, growing up on a little resort island left its mark on me as well.

From myself and any other student who had you as a teacher, Sunny, thank you a million times over. You ignited something in me then that has grown into full flame years later. And I'm only one person. Imagine the collective impact on the people you've touched along the way. God bless you always. God bless marvelous teachers.