Teaching was my dream from the time I was just a little girl. I can remember lining up all my dolls and stuffed animals and playing school. If I was fortunate enough to be able to persuade my brothers or neighbor children to join my “class,” I was one more happy little girl. I saw it as an opportunity to help others. The best part was having books.

I also discovered my need to put my feelings on paper, which got me in trouble more times than I care to recall. I remember one time when I was in the fourth grade, I had a “crush” on a really cute boy. As was the custom during that time, I wrote him notes, folded them into “footballs,” and saved them in a cigar box in my desk. I could never get enough courage to actually give them to him. However, I was absent for several days, and someone found the notes and gave them to him. When I got back to school after being absent for almost a week, I was horrified to discover the dilemma I found myself in because the boy already had a girlfriend. Needless to say, I got rid of my cigar box and notes! I don’t remember ever writing notes again.

As I got older, it continued to be my dream to be a teacher and write a book. In high school, I worked in our school library and joined the Future Teachers of America; now it is Future Educators, and the library is a media center. Although technology has taken over so much of the challenge of obtaining an education, books are still a vital component in our pursuit. There is nothing like holding a book, turning the pages, and underlining or highlighting information that is important or that tugs on our mind and at our heart! I began to have a dream of someday writing a book! I call myself “book poor!” I have enough books in my home that I could fill a library.

Books are and always have been a large part of my life. I have donated as many books as I now own, but I have two books in my head and in my heart that I really feel compelled to write and share. One book is about my family, and the other one that is begging to be written is my experiences with the awesome students who have been a part of my life. I thank God daily for giving me an opportunity of having all the young people in my life. The absolute truth is that I learned more from the young men and women who were in my classes than I could have ever shared with them. If I can ever become disciplined enough, I will write my books and dedicate them to all of those amazing people who have been such an inspiration to me.

Until next time,

Hester Guest