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    Ignition: An Educator's Journey
    Ignition: An Educator's Journey
    Ignition: An Educator's Journey
    Ebook137 pages1 hour

    Ignition: An Educator's Journey

    By Michelle Arrose

    3/5

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    About this ebook

    Meet Karen Woolsworth, a brand new educator who is given an excellent opportunity to work in a school and educate the young minds of today. However, little did she know that teaching led her to a nightmare rather than paradise. One troubled student, Kevin Connelly, becomes part of her obsession that she cannot focus on anything else. A teen that has a disturbing past, Kevin is a representation of the typical student that educators face every day around the world. Karen is left feeling alone, fearing for her life with no support from administrators. Ms. Crowe, the assistant principal, follows Karens every move like a bird. Instead of a dove, she becomes a vulture who eats away at the mental psyche and emotional stamina of Karens well-being.

    The only salvation in this pool of chaos is Billy, her husband. However, he has difficulty relating and understanding the educational dilemmas that Karen faces.

    The constant struggles that Karen encounters to balance her life as a teacher and wife weigh her down daily. This book is a rollercoaster filled with emotional highs and lows until the ride ends. This novella is unique for its alternate endings, and you control Karens fate. Your decision determines how Karens ride ends.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateDec 20, 2013
    ISBN9781477268278
    Ignition: An Educator's Journey
    Author

    Michelle Arrose

    My name is Michelle Arrose. I am currently a teacher. I enjoy writing and completed a short-novel titled, “IGNITION.” Throughout my entire life I have always felt inspired to write. I also am a strong believer in being a teacher advocate. If my novella could help educate people as to the hardships educators face today, then I would be extremely elated. This is my first novella and hope you enjoy it. I also set up a blog which is: marrose215.blogspot.com. Feel free to follow me as I continue to write many more literary works. “IGNITION” is about a first year teacher. Karen Woolsworth who was given (in her mind) an excellent opportunity to work in a school and educate the young minds of today. However, little did she know that teaching led to her nightmare rather than her paradise. One troubled student, Kevin Connelly, becomes part of her obsession that she can not focus on anything else. A teen that has a disturbing past. Kevin is a representation of the typical student that educators face everyday around the world. Karen is left feeling alone in the world and fearing for her life with no support from administrators. Ms. Crowe, the Assistant Principal, is a woman who follows Karen’s every move like a bird. Instead of a dove she becomes a vulture who eats away at the mental psyche and emotional stamina of Karen’s well-being. The only salvation in this pool of chaos is Billy, her husband. However, he has difficulty relating and understanding the educational dilemmas which Karen faces. The constant struggles that Karen encounters to balance her life as a teacher and wife weigh her down daily. This book is a rollercoaster filled with emotional ups and downs until the ride ends. This novella is unique for its alternate endings and you get to choose exactly how Karen’s ride ends.

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    Reviews for Ignition

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    • 3/5
      This book follows protagonist Karen's journey as she embarks on her first teaching role. She is assigned to a rather challenging class of students, and we see how the emotional struggle to engage her students affects her relationships with her husband and fellow teachers. This novella explores the difficulty that teachers face when trying to educate non-conforming students.The author has done something very clever with this book that I've not seen before - the reader gets to choose the ending they would prefer, from a choice of three. Adding these alternate final chapters really made me consider how I wanted to story to end and my reasons for choosing the conclusion I did. This is such a unique selling point.I enjoyed reading this story, but I didn't find any of the characters very likeable. Karen was very emotional throughout and I was uncomfortable with the way she was so dependent on husband Billy. She appeared to be such a weak character that I found her rather annoying. She had such a lack of confidence and self-esteem that I found myself questioning her relationship with Billy. He seemed very controlling and she was too easily pacified by his words and simply by being in his arms. Perhaps if the story was longer that relationship could be explored further.The story flows quite well and the writing style is easy to follow. There are some issues with punctuation and wording (my pet peeve) but readers shouldn't find that this devalues the plot. There are a couple of sex scenes that I don't really feel are needed as they're very short and add nothing to the story. If they were more drawn out, readers might find that they build on Karen and Billy's relationship and/or find them erotic.Summary:An interesting short story with a unique twist. An enjoyable easy read that shows potential. Gives insight into the darker side of education. In some ways I wish this was a longer book as I'd like to have got to know more about the characters and what makes them tick. 3.5/5.
    • 3/5
      Usually when one is just starting out with something new, they start with something easy. Karen Woolsworth didn’t have a choice. She’s a brand new teacher and is tossed in with the most unruly and disruptive 8th grade class in the school. They have no respect for themselves or others; they simply don’t care. All of the teaching techniques Karen has learned go unheeded with this class. She can’t get through to them. There are a couple of the kids who actually do their homework and turn it in, but the rest seem content to get zeros. Very few of the parents get involved. Karen goes home every day in more despair than the day before. Her husband is supportive, but yet all he can do is encourage her to continue. She fights a losing battle with the school administrators. When push comes to shove, the discipline they give the kids falls short of what they need. One of the kids confides in her about another student. We’re talking murder. Karen and some of her students are in real danger.The author had provided the Editor’s edition which was filled with mistakes, many duplicate entries, editing notes, etc. For that reason, the book was difficult to go through. One reason I choose to read and review this was that I have very fond memories of my son and daughter as small children going through the children’s Choose Your Own Adventure books. These were the only books they’d reread several times in order to choose every adventure possible. The reader’s choice for Ignition didn’t appear until about half way through. At that time, it said “Choose ending number 1, number 2, or number 3.” I wondered what I was actually choosing to do. In former CYOA books, you were given a clear understanding of what path you were taking. For instance, your first choice could be a Yes or No to ‘Do you want to confront [name]’? Then you go to the specific pages for either Yes or No. Also, I would think that with the technology of book readers, your choices would be links to take you to your choice, but that didn’t exist here either. Karen made a devastating mistake concerning the student who confided in her. The story line seemed real and vivid and there was good character development. I chose number 1 because the choice was right there behind the options. The protagonist didn’t die in my choice, but it was a sad ending for her and one of her students. I rated Ignition at 2.5 out of 5.

    Book preview

    Ignition - Michelle Arrose

    © 2008, 2013 by Michelle Arrose. All rights reserved.

    No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

    Published by AuthorHouse 12/16/2013

    ISBN: 978-1-4772-6828-5 (sc)

    ISBN: 978-1-4772-6827-8 (e)

    Library of Congress Control Number: 2012916737

    Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

    Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

    Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

    Contents

    Prologue

    A New Journey

    Class 8E

    Kevin Connelly

    The Aftermath

    Defeated

    Failing Lesson

    Project # 1

    The Truth Hurts

    Spilled the Beans

    Truth and Consequences

    The Conversation

    Letting Off Steam

    Reminiscing in My Dreams

    Jumped

    The Bad Day

    Unleashed Anxiety

    Justice Is Served???

    Parent/Teacher Conferences

    Dinner For Four

    Am I On Trial?

    Mean Ms. Crowe

    Turkey Time

    Back To Battle

    Bad News Travels Fast

    Holiday Tears

    Back to the Daily Grind

    Depressing Phone Call

    DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!

    Telling the Treacherous Truth

    My Last Day

    My Last Day

    My Last Day

    About the Author

    Prologue

    I T WAS THE HAPPIEST DAY of my life: graduation. I was thrilled to wear my cap and gown while my loved ones cheered me on when I received my master’s degree. Afterward, my husband, Billy, my parents, and I went out to celebrate at a nearby steakhouse. My family reserved the steakhouse only for special occasions. Silk, red linen tablecloths eloquently draped each table. On each table, a candle was dimly lit. Next to the candle was a rose in a small crystal vase, which smelled delightful. We toasted the night with glorious, sweet, and dry champagne. I felt so alive and filled with elated emotions that I wanted the night to last forever.

    After graduation, I consumed myself with the repetitive, depressing, continual job search. I went from school to school to try to land a teaching job. One interview I had did not go too well. I could tell the principal was not impressed with me. He seemed quite posh, mainly because he was principal for one of the best schools in the district. At this point, I was panicking. School would start really soon, and I had no prospects. However, I did have one interview left. I hoped and prayed that I would be hired and start living my dreams, educating the young minds of today.

    Chapter 1

    A New Journey

    A UGUST 24, WAS A MAGICAL day for me. Not magical in the sense of wizards and sorcerers, but rather in the sense that I, Karen Woolsworth, landed my first teaching position.

    I was so excited. I could not wait to go home and tell Billy, my husband, that all that hard work paid off. Two long years of rigorous graduate school, finally over. Taking all those teaching exams and suffering for hours with a proctor staring at you, sizing you up while tapping her pencil, and distracting your every thought when you needed to be in control at that time.

    The day started out dreary. I woke up to rain. I spilled coffee on one of my suits and had to go to the interview in my navy blue suit and white blouse. It was not my favorite, but it had to do. I hoped that spilling coffee on my suit did not mean bad luck.

    That morning, my curly dark hair stood as frizzy as can be. I felt like a cat that just had gone through a car wash. Imagine how he would look. Well, the spilled coffee delayed me a bit, but I raced for my interview as fast as a jaguar runs and I made it right on time. I was lucky that I did not get a speeding ticket. Billy would have been quite upset if I had. I also would have missed the job interview. Oh, what a shame that would have been!

    When I arrived at West Street and Ninth Avenue, my nightmare began. There stood a lonely building called, Charles Dickens School. This was a five-story building with fifteen-hundred students. The school consists of sixth through eighth graders. I was able to see that this was an old, musty building with no elevator. As I walked into the horrific huge school, I felt so small, but there was an aroma of endearing books, which made me feel quite elated. I was in awe. I grew up in the suburbs. I had never been inside an urban school. This was quite an adventure for me. I was so excited and nervous. As I walked up the three small steps, I was greeted by security, a man in a blue uniform. I gave him my driver’s license as proof of ID and signed in. He told me to turn right at the first door and on the left was the main office. I would then have to meet with the principal. I thanked him and went on my way. As I walked down the long narrow corridor, I remember my heart was beating very fast and my palms felt sweaty. It reminded me of a first date, but much worse. The principal, Mr. Scott, a tall man with a mustache, asked me many questions. He started the interview in a friendly manner by shaking my hand and asking me if I found the school okay. At this point, I remember that his smile turned into more of a serious face, as if to say, Let’s begin.

    He asked me, What made you want to go into teaching?

    I do not even remember what I answered him, but he must have been pleased with my response. During the interview, there was another person in the room as well. This person happened to be an assistant principal. She was on the large side with curly short blond hair. Her glasses hugged her ears tightly. She was the one who asked some tough questions. She had a poker face on the entire time and did not crack a smile once. Her name, I will never forget was Ms. Crowe. She reminded me of a spectacle-wearing shark staring at a guppy. I guess that you can guess who I was in that scenario: the guppy. I remember Ms. Crowe’s last question was one of the toughest.

    How would you prepare your students for the statewide exam?

    I must have looked at them dumbfounded. I could not believe this question. I had just graduated from my master’s program. I had never taught before. I did not know what to say.

    At that moment, a magical thing happened. The principal’s secretary came in and interrupted us, saying that he had an urgent call from his wife. He told me that I have the job. Naturally, I accepted the job with alacrity. He then excused himself. If I had time to answer the question, I believe that I would not have gotten the job. He informed me that I would have to teach a self-contained eighth-grade general education class which meant that I would have to teach the same children throughout the day. My only hope at this point was that my students would be great and not horrific.

    I thanked him and walked out of his tight, stuffy office, leaving him and the shark behind. As I walked out the door, I felt relieved that it was over and my teaching career would begin. The following week I would start and I could not wait. I was overjoyed that I felt like skipping down the block. However, in case the principal should glance out the window, I knew I had to maintain self-control and save that giddy emotion for when I got home.

    When I was a child, I would watch my mother who was also a teacher, come home

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