Photo courtesy of HMH

A few months ago, I was speaking to a group of teacher librarians about the process of writing my debut novel, How It Ends (HMH, Jun. 7, 2016), and the question of how I find the time to write came up. I described to them how I carve out writing time during the evenings and weekends and how I get the bulk of my writing done over the summer holidays. "You must be hoping your novel takes off," someone said. "So that you can quit teaching and write full-time." I was taken aback. For though the idea of writing full-time sounds like a dream come true, I can’t imagine leaving teaching. Teaching has made me the writer I am. In truth, it is no easy feat to balance writing and teaching. I've run a behavior support program at my school for a number of years now, and my days are fast-paced and unpredictable. It's an all-consuming role in which I'm often called upon to help students in crisis, mediate conflicts, deescalate situations, and connect students with resources in our community. It's a job that brings me joy and breaks my heart. I've watched teens overcome seemingly insurmountable difficulties, and I've been there as they tearfully disclosed devastating information. I've watched some students walk across the stage at graduation, and I've attended the funerals of others. It's more than a job. It's who I am. I thought I'd give my role as a teacher the respect it is due by outlining five ways that teaching has prepared me for my new role as a young adult author.

It keeps me current

Let's be honest. My high school days were *ahem* a few years ago, and things have changed. When I was a teenager, we didn't have social media to contend with. Embarrassing moments were just as humiliating, but they were short-lived. There were no photos or videos posted online to haunt us afterward, and news didn't spread as fast as it does now, with the help of texting and social media. The ways teens communicate, access information, and shape their identities have changed dramatically. As a high school teacher, I have the advantage of interacting with my target audience every day, and I have a front-row seat to the way life has changed, and continues to change, for adolescents today.

It keeps me honest

Working in a high school reminds me that there is no such thing as a “typical” high school experience. I know teens who got cars on their 16th birthdays and teens who are homeless. Some of my students were born in Canada, while others have immigrated within the last few years. Some teens in my program will remember high school as the best years of their lives, while others will remember it as a time of serious physical or mental illness, troubled relationships, and difficult home lives. Being a teacher reminds me every day of the diversity within our schools.

It keeps me connected

A major part of my job is listening. And while that sounds simple, it’s a skill I’ve been honing for years. It’s amazing what you can learn when you really listen, without an agenda or judgment and without making assumptions. As my reputation for being a good listener has grown, more and more students come to me to share their stories, their thoughts, their problems, and their dreams. It’s a privilege to be connected with the teens in my program, and I’m grateful to all the students who have opened up their lives and shared their stories with me.

It keeps me focused

There are only so many times you can encourage students to take risks and commit themselves to trying new things even in the face of possible failure before you start to take your own words to heart. I don’t know if I would have had the courage to write a novel and put my words out there in the world without the lessons I’ve learned from my students. It’s inspiring to watch young people on the verge of making their dreams come true, and it reminds me of the importance of focusing on my own goals and working hard to achieve them.

It keeps me learning

I’m forever reassuring my students, particularly the more anxious and perfectionist ones, that learning is a process. No one expects you to know everything at the beginning of a course. You’re there to learn, and you learn much more from your mistakes than you do from your successes. When I set about writing my novel, I made a conscious effort to put myself in the role of a student and approach the process as a learning experience. I gave myself permission to make mistakes and welcomed feedback and constructive criticism. This went a long way, I believe, toward helping me weather the inevitable setbacks along the way. Each time I received a rejection, I went back to my manuscript and tried to improve it, telling myself that as long as I learned from the experience, then it was valuable. In the end, those rejections propelled me forward and improved my work immeasurably. So even though it has its challenges and there are never enough hours in the day to accomplish everything on my to-do lists, I’ll keep on working to balance writing and teaching, reminding myself how lucky I am to get the opportunity to pursue both passions at the same time. Inspired by 12 years working with at-risk teenagers as a teacher in a behavior support program, Catherine Lo is the author of How It Ends (HMH, June 7, 2016). She lives in Ontario with her family. Visit her online at www.catherine-lo.com.