I did not pick the complete title for my book. The bare bones was called " School Violence Prevention: Faith Journey of a Teacher." The title was a working one for years, before I reached out to a publisher who listened. Not self published, but upfront investment in myself, with one on one guidance, editorial assistance, and the actual printing and publishing process.
It was a leap of faith to invest but not a leap to write or take direction. I wrote for years. I heard often what direction to take, not all friendly advice. If you read my book, you do know what direction I am journeying.
The thoughts and writing are mine. Yes, I missed some typos on my final edit submission. They were not corrected. I do that here too.
The publisher recommended adding "One Teacher's Silent Scream" to the Stopping School Violence title. I used the word, scream, several times in the story. There is a connection to another teacher, human not divine.
An artist did the cover, whose name, sadly, I do not know. The name was not offered. The proposed cover made some Beta readers stop and stare. The artist pictures made me ponder. I had a choice in the selection after giving some intial ideas. On the battle field I write. My weapon is a pen or keyboard. I went with the cover with the pencil and a child in a whirlwind. Ponder it. Any questions? I did not come up with that idea, but was it something I wrote that inspired the artist?
My faith took a major leap in 1998 as described at length. I loved my job. But something needed to be done. I have been leaping, practicing, and writing ever since. The reader knows.
As a teacher, I used stories and music daily. My writing is no different. I had inspired moments when teaching. Those were my most fulfilling days. As many times stated, I hear and see inspiration. I have stories in my book and on this blog.
My most inspired day and best writing was March 24, 1998 because it made a difference. There was no music. I could not hear the screams.
The Master Teacher is my guru! He spoke in story form. People got the references back in His day, whether they agreed or not. Those who listen, understand those same stories in this century. Shannon must have heard his voice on March 24, 1998. I heard of her actions.
Visuals are important. I am not an artist ( I have done a few animal paintings but only the animal parents would like them!). I have to paint with words. I try to keep the words from being too graphic. Gory and horrific verbs are not my genre, although factor into real life stories.
My brain connected to the words good and dark these last few days. I write with inspiration from the light.
"Hello darkness my old friend" became that phrase in my head. Was it a leap, connection, or both? A group named, Disturbed, covered the song. I only remember the famous singing duo who voices are singing in my ear, so I am sharing.
The Sound of Silence - Wikipedia https://share.google/tXwWc1cQukpziVghh
https://youtube.com/shorts/YHtEB60NKT8?is=ykGn5iLUFwAYRvL9
Making musical connections to heartbreaking news stories is what Simon and his friend Garfunkel did in the '60s. Are they friends still? Even the best partnerships have hard times.
"Hope begins when you stand in the dark, looking out at the light."
A person who writes scripts for a living, credited a fictious teacher for saying that. The voice was repeated by another character. I repeat it here from Cleansing the Palate post.
The song by S and G and the line from The Christmas Train, were they inspired by the Master Teacher?
If you watch the news as I do or work with information that I do, the light has to be looked at in order not to lose hope.
Offer hope today. It could be in a song. Read the comments under the video links. And as usual, if you have comments on my post, share them where they matter most.
In the silence, there are whispers that keep us from just singing.
From the Teacher's Desk with Love,
Marian R. Carlino
November 5, 2026