Fiction Scribe

Hello! Welcome to Fiction Scribe.

By way of introduction, what are five words that you feel describe you best?

The five words people use most often to describe me are thoughtful, caring, considerate, intelligent, and creative.

You’re currently on tour with your book No Teachers Left Behind. Will you tell us briefly about the book?

No Teachers Left Behind is a realistic fiction novel that describes the feelings of a public middle school staff. It is told from the viewpoints of teachers (and a single administrator) who really want to change the world. Unfortunately, these staff members are hampered by various things and various people. The story is told through emails, poetry, and brief conversations.

The title is a play on ‘No Child Left Behind’. Why did you choose to go with that title?

Over the years, the phrase ‘No Child Left Behind’ has been tossed around and associated with the United States’ educational system. It hints that our children are being left behind; that they are being let down by schools (specifically by teachers).

As a hard working teacher, surrounded by many other hard working teachers on a daily basis and in communication with many others, I wanted to express the idea that perhaps the students aren’t the only ones being left behind. Perhaps, it’s the teachers who are being left behind, being that we are the ones who are underpaid, overworked, and under supported.

Why did you choose to write under the pen name HBF Teacher?

HBF Teacher is who I am. I am a Hopeful But Frustrated Teacher who is trying not to give up on my dream of helping to make the world a better place.

I chose a pseudonym for two reasons: 1) There are bound to be some people who see too much of themselves in No Teachers Left Behind and 2) Everybody loves a good mystery. Last month, I got a really good laugh when I overheard a couple of teachers who worked at my school discussing the novel and wondering who would ever write something like that.

Was there a specific event or epiphany that led you to decide to write a book on this subject?

Teachers deal with so many things on a daily basis. We have students who consistently misbehave. The misbehaviours range from light incidents of talking back and distracting others to more serious issues like bullying and weapons.

We also have parents who live in a state of denial and believe their children can do no wrong, administrators who have no idea what it’s like to teach today (not ten or twenty years ago when they taught), and so much more. All those things added up to a huge boiling pot. That pot overflowed and became No Teachers Left Behind.

Do you feel that the negative things teachers have to deal with are overlooked in today’s world?

I definitely think the negative things are overshadowed by the problems the students encounter each day in school (and this is not to be taken lightly). Then there are also other issues in the world that are more newsworthy. Sometimes I feel like I only hear about teachers in the news when there’s the occasional bad apple who breaks the law or when test scores aren’t as high as some politician think they should be.

What do you think are the causes of the teacher situation?

For a while now, I don’t believe students in the United States have been as academically successful as they should be. As a result of this failure, I recognize there is a need to delegate blame. Nobody is willing to say the students aren’t applying themselves enough and that the parents aren’t following through.

When you eliminate those two options, this leaves the blame to only the school system and its lowest rung on the ladder, the teachers. As a result of being the bad guys and gals, teachers are now put under so much pressure and given so much responsibility and so many tasks that there is really very little time left for them actually teach.

Are there any solutions?

Teachers should be allowed more input into what goes on in their classrooms. It’s kind of insane that the people who don’t teach are the ones who make educational policies.

Other possible solutions include higher salaries to recruit and maintain effective teaching staffs and smaller classroom sizes. Students and their parents should also be held more accountable for grades and behaviour. The only excuse cannot be that teachers are not doing their part.

What do you want readers to take away from reading your book?

I want them to know that the majority of teachers actually wake up with a plan to teach each day, and they don’t go to bed at the end of the day without having a plan for tomorrow. Teachers do care, and they do work. It’s time for others to share in the responsibility of educating our children.

What are you working on now?

The sequel to No Teachers Left Behind. There is still a great deal about teaching that I want to share.

Thank you very much for your time. I wish you the best with No Teachers Left Behind.

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HBF Teacher has been a public school Middle grades teacher for three years. Before that, HBF substitute taught for two years. HBF has also worked as a live-in nanny and an accounts payable representative.

You can find HBF online at http://www.noteachersleftbehind.info/