The Educator's Helper Author/Educational Consultant/Educator

Want a classroom visit?  Need help with incorporating ideas?  How about extra student samples? Need professional development for educators? Send an email:  mbhammett@aol.com Author Biography “Reading took me places free of charge. Books became an escape for me.” Reading has always been a passion for Beth. “I remember the Bookmobile that came once a month, and I would check out as many books as I was allowed. The librarian asked me once if I actually read each book I checked out, and my answer was, of course, yes.” Spending her school years in the rural community of Maysville, Oklahoma, Beth credits her seventh grade teacher with encouraging her to pursue her dream of writing. “Mrs. Jennings had us keep a writer’s journal. In mine, I wrote that I would like to write a novel. Mrs. Jennings wrote back that I should keep writing and that someday my dream would come true!” After high school, Beth did a variety of jobs before she eventually found her way back to college and graduated from Murray State College in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. From there, Beth entered the University of Oklahoma where she received her Bachelor of Science in Education in 1999. She was recipient of the Oklahoma Writing Project’s first graduate internship position. This led to Beth remaining an active teacher consultant/presenter with the Greater Houston Area Writing Project where during the summer of 2005 she co-directed. “Most of my classroom ideas are adapted from Writing Project fellows. Without writing project and its support group, I would not be where I am today.” From there, Beth went on to teach seventh grade for five years. “Upon telling people I was a middle school teacher, I would receive many consolations. However, I loved my middle schoolers. I remember while growing up, those were my toughest years, and I wanted to help others going through the same rough period I went through.” During her two years at Dickinson ISD, Beth was awarded 2003 Secondary DISD Teacher of the Year, Channel Two Sunshine Award, and 2004 Region IV Texas State Middle School Association Teacher of the Year. While teaching seventh grade, Beth completed her Master of Arts degree at University of Houston-Clear Lake. Beth now teaches developmental writing classes for College of the Mainland in Texas City, Texas. She recently completed the Kellogg Institute for Developmental Education at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, under the direction of Dr. Hunter Boylan and Dr. Barbara Bonham. “I love what I do, and I enjoy being a life-long learner with my students!” Beth and her family reside in Dickinson, Texas.

Author Questionnaire 1. How did you come up with the concept for the book? While teaching seventh grade, we had some male substitutes that took advantage of their positions and made questionable advances towards the girls, who talked incessantly about what had happened. I began listening as students spoke about their lives and problems. I think the key is to listen when students speak. We can find out so much about the turmoil students go through at their ages just by listening. I then began to spin tales! 2. Are your characters based on real people? Yes and no. It is hard for me to conjure up real characters without a visual. From a character’s actions, I get a visual of what the character should like look. It is, in a way, stereotyping. But I like to people watch, and I take pieces of people, combine them, and form new characters. Although Tallie has some traits that are similar to my son, Zach, such as not eating meatloaf but eating meatballs, all the characters are fictional. 3. Where did the title come from? I had my seventh grade class critique the first chapter of the book—the students did not know the chapter was from my book. Jonathon Mayer was brave enough to raise his hand to inform me the original title was not one he would choose from a library shelf. I about fell over! So, all my classes brainstormed and Jonathon had the best title—Natalie: Diary of a Senior Year. I honestly cannot remember the original title. 4. Do you write everyday? I try to write everyday. My college students keep writer’s notebooks, and we read Ralph Fletcher’s Writer’s Notebook so we can begin to think like writers. We write the first ten minutes of class. My seventh graders wrote everyday, as well. 5. What is your next novel about? I have several projects: Miss Beth’s Bookmobile which tells the story of two little girls who lose their library cards in the Bookmobile. Most children have never seen a bookmobile before. The next YAL book is Talk Show Teen about a teenage girl who goes on a talk show and has to live with the results upon her return home. 6. What advice can you give to young writers? Keep writing! I stopped writing for a period of time in my twenties, and it felt like I had to learn all over again. Writing is just like playing a sport or an instrument—if you want to get better, you have to practice, practice, practice. 7. Do you enjoy reading, and what types of books do you like to read? I love to read! I’ll read just about anything from instructions to magazines to pamphlets. I go through periods where I read historical fictions then real-life murder mysteries and on to romances then autobiographies. I enjoy young adult fiction because it is perfect for taking on a short plane trip, a visit to the beach, or to the doctor’s office.