As the school year soon comes to a close, we share an excerpt from America’s best-selling author and Palm Beach resident James Patterson’s newest nonfiction book, ‘Thank You, Teachers’, a moving tribute to America’s educators. Each chapter, drawn from interviews with individual teachers in rural towns, big cities, and communities in between, underscores the often unrecognized dedication, sacrifice, and, in some cases, courage they bring to the classroom and their students. Here is an exclusive excerpt from the book and the heart – Tim Malloy
KAYLA TATRO
Kayla Tatro always admired the way her grandmother encouraged her kids’ and grandkids’ education. After her first college semester, she switched her focus from high school to elementary education, and received her middle school endorsement. She currently teaches grades five through eight at the same school she once attended in Carson, North Dakota. She was one of four finalists for North Dakota’s Teacher of the Year.
WHEN I STARTED teaching, I never imagined that even geography could spark such strong opinions. People look at our school and think, They’re so small, so rural, they can’t possibly provide a good education.
But we do.
The school in Carson, North Dakota, where I teach, is unique. We have about sixty- five students, kindergarten through eighth grade. Because the student population is so small, we keep kindergarten separate, then combine grades — first and second, third and fourth, fifth and sixth, seventh and eighth.
Our big benefit is educating our students for multiple years. Most kids who graduate eighth grade are on the honor roll in high school, which is in a neighboring town about a fifteen-minute drive away.
We’re constantly updating our curriculum and ordering new books and resources for our kids. Because our school has prioritized one- to- one technology — all our kids have Chromebooks — our kids are right in line with the rest of the state. When the pandemic hit, our kids were ready to go.
Seeing students go through each grade, watching them grow and succeed, is an especially rewarding part of teaching in a small community. I see my students at church and community events. I go to their basketball and football games. Sometimes they do livestock judging practice after school, so I’ll pop in and say hi. Showing students that their teachers care about them as individuals is important.
The hardest part of teaching happens outside of school. Kids going home with little or no food or to a parent who isn’t caring for them the way they deserve. Distressing circumstances like these are beyond our control.
In rural North Dakota, the income of our communities is driven by agriculture. It’s common for farm families to do well one year, then have a bad year the next. In the down times, a lot of schoolkids qualify for free or reduced- cost lunches. Where I live, probably half the students receive subsidized meals.
Students, even the ones who struggle, can have a complete turnaround when their teachers believe in them and don’t give up on seeing them realize their potential.
No matter the size of the school, being understaffed stretches the faculty thin, leaving everyone tired and really overworked.
For three years, our principal had to take on some teaching duties, and our kindergarten teacher took on junior- high science. As much as I liked teaching English, I picked up an extra class — seventh- and eighth- grade math. The variety was a fun challenge.
Finally, we hired another teacher. It was a relief, but fresh challenges lie ahead. Like books. We’re always on the watch for legislative bills that undermine our autonomy as teachers and threaten public education.
When I received a letter from Scholastic saying I won the James Patterson Classroom Library Grant, I spent the five hundred dollars I was awarded on over a hundred Scholastic books for my classroom. I ended up winning another grant and had to add another bookshelf to my classroom for all the incoming books. It was truly a bright spot in my return to school post–pandemic shutdowns.
Thankfully, in our small community, people haven’t been questioning or criticizing the types of books we have in our classrooms and curriculum. For the most part, the parents are great partners in their children’s education. They let us do our jobs.
I’m grateful for their trust.
