Tale of Two Teachers
From picture stories to poetry and essays to anecdotes, students of all ages are writing every day at Bennet Elementary. But students aren’t the only people writing. Teachers write, too, and our school can now proudly say that we have 2 published authors in our midst. Third grade teacher, Alison Winter, and fourth grade teacher, Mike Sybrant collaborated on a children’s book that recently reached online bookstores and teachers’ hands.
Titled AEIOU Islands, A Book About Long and Short Vowels, this concept book teaches readers the difference between long and short vowels. In the book “the students in Mrs. Wiggin’s class take a field trip to the AEIOU Islands and visit the long and short cities on each island. Each city has a specific vowel sound for the students to relate to.”
Ms. Winter and Mr. Sybrant began collaborating on their reading project nearly two years ago. After months of revisions and critiques by friends, family members, and teachers, the book was submitted to a publishing company. Typically, “first time” authors experience a number of rejections. Our teachers were no different, but they were determined to seek out a company that would be interested in their book. Mr. Sybrant’s sister suggested AuthorHouse, a publishing company that is open to new authors. The manuscript was submitted, and a month later they received word that the publishing company “wanted to do business.” They were first assigned a consultant, a contact person with the publishing company. They also selected and collaborated with their illustrator, Kara Larson.
In the weeks that followed, the teachers communicated with various groups within the company (i.e a publishing group that does page set-up, a marketing group, a design group, and a book signing group). Ms. Winter and Mr. Sybrant received the final published copies in December.
When asked if it was worth the effort, Mr. Sybrant responded, “It is a professional accomplishment. (Through the book), we wanted to show that learning can be fun.”
Though plans for another book are not in the near future, their success serves as an inspiration to all student writers and teachers at Bennet Elementary.
NOTE: Copies of AEIOU Islands are available from the authors and at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or authorhouse.com.
