As a countdown to my 30th birthday on March 18, I’ve committed to offering 30 people, things and experiences I want to celebrate from the last 30 years. Grab a piece of cake and enjoy reading!

The first 30 years were, predictably, dominated by formal education. I started with pre-school in 1984 and wrapped up college in 2002. In those 18 years, there are some definite highlights:

• Latin
• Constitutional Law
• Racquetball
• History in Film

But Mrs. Arbo’s 2nd grade had me at hello.

Perhaps the most inventive teacher I ever had, Mrs. Arbo managed to create that unique alchemy of learning and fun that leaves a child thirsting for more. And for a child like me who was already nursing a love of story and a talent at writing, Mrs. Arbo’s insistence that her entire class write and illustrate their own books (to be published through her own Igor Publishing Company, naturally) was heavenly.

Here’s a little something from my bestseller, The Alien from Saturn:

The cover of my well-reviewed masterpiece, Magical Leprechauns:

And the inside back flap of the childhood classic, Santa Claus Makes a Mistake:

It’s possible I’ll write a book someday and I realize now that I’ll have the fortunate gift of being able to draw on important lessons learned in 2nd grade. For example:

• Hire an illlustrator
• Don’t use too many fonts or colors so as to confuse your reader
• Telling the world your street address in your book may be unwise
• Leave the furry friends out of the picture

So thanks, Mrs. Arbo. And thanks, 2nd grade.  Not only did you make the 1988-89 school year lots of fun, but you reinforced the idea that adults can be fun and that learning can be fun.

As for the books themselves, I have decided to add these titles to my resume as credibility builders. Who knows what successes await in my future as a result!

Tags: celebration, change, creativity

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 10:02 am and is filed under celebration, change, creativity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.