December
04
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Facing My Nemesis, Finding My Voice by Kristin Bartley Lenz
English was always my favorite subject and I dreamed of being a writer, but I had an altercation with one of my high school English teachers. Basically, we pissed each other off. We had a misunderstanding; she exploded in anger in front of my peers and demanded an apology from me. My response: “I don’t have to take this from you.”
I was a quiet, conscientious student, and if this had happened at the beginning of the year I would have made the apology she demanded and then silently fumed. But it was the end of senior year, and I was done with the absurdity of high school. I craved freedom and independence. I needed to have a voice. The teacher sent me to the vice principal.
The vice principal had previously been a guidance counselor. She was firm, but caring, and she listened and understood exactly where I was coming from. Oh she had that Rogerian active listening perfected! “So what I hear you saying is…” The teacher never backed down, but the vice principal supported me and mediated an agreement. I never consciously made the connection to that incident and my later decision to pursue a career in social work with children and teens. All through undergrad, I went back and forth, English or psychology, psychology or English. Psychology won.
Flash forward to today. After many years as a social worker, I’ve come full circle back to my dream of writing. I am a published author. Recently, I was invited to speak to a group about my debut novel and journey to publication. Can you guess where this story is going? The group was warm and welcoming, but there she was – my high school English teacher – in the audience, sitting three feet away from me as I prepared to speak. I hadn’t seen her in nearly thirty years. My nemesis!
She didn’t remember me. I was not exceptional. Thousands of students had passed through her classroom. I’m sure she inspired many of them along the way, igniting their interest in the humanities. I took a college humanities class because of her introduction. I have no animosity toward her. She’s no longer a teacher fighting for authority; she’s a fellow writer navigating the bumpy, humbling publishing path. High school was a long time ago, and I joked about our shared history. We’re human. We both had a bad day that turned into an ugly incident. An incident that was turned around by an empathetic vice principal who took the time to listen and advocate for a student during a volatile moment. She not only heard my voice, she elevated it. I remember.
Why am I writing this story? It’s what I do. It’s how I find my voice. How do you find yours? Art, music, drama, building, designing, teaching, speaking?
Even now as an adult, I often fail to find my spoken voice. I don’t speak up at all, or soon enough, or the words come out wrong. My brain wiring ensures that I will likely spend the rest of my life working on this. Maybe that’s my true nemesis.
How ironic that being an author requires speaking about your writing. What a gift that teacher in the audience gave me – to be reminded of a time in adolescence when I spoke up. And was heard, loud and clear. Your voice matters.
Teachers, administrators, school personnel – you have a profound effect on your students in ways great and small. My writing dream was jump-started by my second grade teacher who required each of us to write and submit a poem to a contest. (Yes, my poem won!) So many authors have stories about that one special teacher who gave them just the right book or a writing journal when they needed it. Your quiet students might fly under your radar, but they’re paying attention; they remember. You are working with youth during a time of great growth and upheaval. One short incident can have a long trajectory. You have one of the most important jobs in our world. Thank you.
Kristin Bartley Lenz is a writer and social worker from metro-Detroit who fell in love with the mountains when she moved to Georgia and California. Now she’s back in Detroit where she plots wilderness escapes and manages the Michigan Chapter blog for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Her debut young adult novel, The Art of Holding On and Letting Go, is a Fall 2016 Junior Library Guild Selection. You can find her online at www.kristinbartleylenz.com.
Nerdy Book Club 
Great story, Kristin. I also credit an elementary, a high school, and a college professor for seeing potential in my writing and encouraging me to continue writing. Now, as a published author and teacher, I enjoy that same opportunity to find those quiet and quirky young voices that often go unheard.
Great story. As an English teacher and a writer I do wonder if a similar moment will happen someday. What is it with seniors and English, anyway?
Me encanta leer tus artículos. No hablo nada de inglés fluido. No he pasado de ser un estudiante de inglés de academia, pero no pierdo la ocasión de leerlo.Me parece un idioma muy valioso, por ser capaz de unir a personas de países diferentes. Soy tu seguidor y lector asíduo, y copio y pego para una traducción posterior. ¡Feliz domingo, CBethM! Ramón
I love reading your articles. I do not speak any fluent English. I have not passed an English student in academy, but I do not miss the opportunity to read it. I think it is a very valuable language, because it is able to unite people from different countries. I am your follower and reader as well, and copy and paste for a later translation. Happy Sunday, CBethM! Ramon
I wonder if we were inadvertently inspired by the same English teacher.