On Monday, October 17 I went to Donald Fraser Memorial School with the New Brunswick Writers in the Schools Program (WISP) and felt so welcomed and warm inside at their acceptance and appreciation of me.
I’ve never been to Plaster Rock, known for it’s large fiddleheads and pond hockey tournament, but am glad I did go.
The students of DFMS were spellbound with my reading of Sending You Sammy and asked some very interesting questions, pointing out aspects of the children’s book I never focused on before. These kids bragged about playing hockey outdoors for hours during their weekend, hiking in the woods and riding their bike.
I was impressed by their response to me, their cleverness and attention to detail. Best of all, I felt like an author for a day. Through the writers workshop I did I felt like an expert even though deep deep down I was nervous as heck. I admit it, I freak out a little but I hope to think everyone does. But I celebrated at the same time I was quivering as I once again realized how exciting being a Canadian author is.
Even with the ups and downs, the good days and bad nights, seeing the hope and excitement in the eyes of a child looking up to you is a wonderful feeling I wish I could experience more often.
Thanks for reading,
Sarah Butland
PS: I hope to hear more about the surprise post tomorrow.