I have just finished Old School, and there is a chasm where your book used to be. I’ve felt this before – my wife and I call the delicious sense of loss being “bookless;” this however, is different. Maybe because it has taken me a year to read (my fault, for reasons too silly to record), but I think it is because too much of me lived in your characters.
I moved from the British West Indies some thirty years ago, and the Old School experiences in many ways mirrored mine, even though St. Mary’s College, my “old school”, was not one of boarding like yours at the Hill School. It is almost painful to admit that I walk the path of a writer not yet published. In this way I connected with the inner turmoil those characters you created enjoyed, or endured. You have made me realize that as I continue to develop my talents, the life and energy I feel from exploring through my writing, this note included, is the reward. Seeing my name in print, and being enjoyed by readers, while still being valid, is more a payment to my ego, than it is an obligation to my gift. I look forward to reading more of your work, and thank you for the smiles afforded me through Old School. Until then, I will continue to have my students (fifth graders) believe in the “power of the author.” Sincerely, M. Stephen Riviere Teacher, Rancho Santa Fe School
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1/23/2017 07:19:31 pm
Hi Mr. Riviere. I am on my family computer and I have nothing to do. I thought it would appropriate to view your website and see the words of wisdom you have to say. I think that this has meaning and can teach a lot of things to a lot of people.
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AuthorTwenty-one years of teaching, and I'm still fascinated with my role as an educator. What will it be like as a principal? Archives
January 2017
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