Dear Bradbury Community,

I return to this forum many years after my original post as a 16 year old in high school. Since my original post, I have not swayed from the path I set for myself. Although my response at the time did not reflect it (let's just say I was a dumbfounded teenager), the words that Bradbury sent to me through this community shot straight into my heart and lit a fire.

That fire never burned out. I even wrote that on my job applications and I was one of the first in my cohort to get hired. Ray Bradbury was the catalyst and continued to support me indirectly throughout my life.

I am now 25 years old and I am in my third year of teaching at the high school level. I returned to my home school district, and I was the youngest teacher in the district starting at 23 years old. I am both delighted and saddened to report this news: I have fulfilled my promise to Mr. Bradbury. I am in the process of teaching Fahrenheit 451 to my 10th graders for the first time this year, and so far they are engaged in the pre-reading activities. I am delighted that I was able to keep my promise, but my only regret is that I could not keep it fast enough to return to Mr. Bradbury, and truly say thank you in the best way I knew how to.

He changed my life with those words. I'll never forget it, and I can't wait to pass it onto my students. "Thank you" just does not suffice.

I mentioned it briefly that he wrote to me and is the reason I became a teacher. To their disbelief, I told them that I promised him I would teach his book, and here we are!

I love this job. I adore my students. I can't wait to share this treasured novel with them.

Always,
The newly titled,
"Ms." Daphne

What a wonderful message! As Douglas said in Dandelion Wine, when there is no way to pay it back, no way at all, you pass it on!

Ms. Daphne: Yes!! Great to hear the RB baton is still being passed to our young readers. I taught Mr. Bradbury's works for thirty-five joyful years ~ 7-12 (remedial to honors and even distance-learning via tv to regional districts). I have had students go on to follow the path you are now experiencing. They have remained in communications from time to time. They include similar comments of RB influences being at the core of their teaching inspirations.

So - *If you have an interest in receiving unit outlines and projects we shared in those years, please feel welcome to somehow present an avenue by which these files can be forwarded to your locale. I saved every RB note, reference, essay topic, and unit review question produced during those years ("every" major book and volumes of short stories covered). We exchanged with Mr. Bradbury for years and were recipients of countless letters and gifts from this Generous Gentleman of American Letters.
I could easily compile an e-file for your review.

In recent years, I have continued to present adult courses at our community libraries and a nearby university. It is still such a personal pleasure!

quote:

Originally posted by fjp451:
Ms. Daphne: Yes!! Great to hear the RB baton is still being passed to our young readers. I taught Mr. Bradbury's works for thirty-five joyful years ~ 7-12 (remedial to honors and even distance-learning via tv to regional districts). I have had students go on to follow the path you are now experiencing. They have remained in communications from time to time. They include similar comments of RB influences being at the core of their teaching inspirations.

So - *If you have an interest in receiving unit outlines and projects we shared in those years, please feel welcome to somehow present an avenue by which these files can be forwarded to your locale. I saved every RB note, reference, essay topic, and unit review question produced during those years ("every" major book and volumes of short stories covered). We exchanged with Mr. Bradbury for years and were recipients of countless letters and gifts from this Generous Gentleman of American Letters.
I could easily compile an e-file for your review.

In recent years, I have continued to present adult courses at our community libraries and a nearby university. It is still such a personal pleasure!

fjp451, if you would be so willing, nothing would make me happier. As I'm sure you can understand, as a fairly new teacher, the nights are long and hard with grading and lesson planning. I would be honored to learn from one who has taught this material with passion; I have much to learn! Thinking about the things you have experienced and the things you have taught excites me.

I am an active Google Drive/Classroom teacher, if perhaps you can share through Google. Otherwise, I would be very happy to share my email address with you for attaching files. Once I complete the unit, I will be happy to share the results!

Daphne, We are always careful with exchanging mailing info on these site posts (privacy, etc). If there is a school link, however, at which an exchange of a simple public contact may occur, that may be a way to initiate further sharing of RB "stuff" - one of Mr. B's favorite collective nouns!

Please feel welcome to proceed as is best from your perspective!
(RE: "...as a fairly new teacher, the nights are long and hard with grading and lesson planning!" Indeed!)
f

Here are some must-link locales:

http://bradburymedia.blogspot.com/
Also: http://home.wlv.ac.uk/~in5379/links.htm

Scroll down 2/3 of this page ~ Mr. B's generosity with students & family quite apparent: http://bradburymedia.blogspot....4_03_01_archive.html

Dr. Jon Eller, now cataloging nearly sixty years of RB files from archived collections transported from LA home to Indianapolis U, Center for Bradbury Studies (an amazing feat): http://bradbury.iupui.edu/news

Be sure to frequently read his especially poetic passages orally. They will captivate the imaginations of the students and open the floor to interesting interpretations and discussions!

"It was a pleasure to burn!" Prophetic. . .

Daphne, please also feel free to invite your students to post on this board! You are a dedicated and ethical teacher who will see that they use the board responsibly unlike certain people who shall not be mentioned here.

quote:

Originally posted by fjp451:
Daphne, We are always careful with exchanging mailing info on these site posts (privacy, etc). If there is a school link, however, at which an exchange of a simple public contact may occur, that may be a way to initiate further sharing of RB "stuff" - one of Mr. B's favorite collective nouns!

Please feel welcome to proceed as is best from your perspective!
(RE: "...as a fairly new teacher, the nights are long and hard with grading and lesson planning!" Indeed!)
f

Here are some must-link locales:

http://bradburymedia.blogspot.com/
Also: http://home.wlv.ac.uk/~in5379/links.htm

Scroll down 2/3 of this page ~ Mr. B's generosity with students & family quite apparent: http://bradburymedia.blogspot....4_03_01_archive.html

Dr. Jon Eller, now cataloging nearly sixty years of RB files from archived collections transported from LA home to Indianapolis U, Center for Bradbury Studies (an amazing feat): http://bradbury.iupui.edu/news

Be sure to frequently read his especially poetic passages orally. They will captivate the imaginations of the students and open the floor to interesting interpretations and discussions!

"It was a pleasure to burn!" Prophetic. . .

fjp451,

I certainly understand your comment about privacy. After seeing your first response, my first action was to see if there was a private message feature on this message board; alas, I was not able to find a functioning feature.

Despite this, I am quite comfortable sharing one of my various contact email addresses; it is not connected to my private emails for that very reason--privacy. Once we make contact, I can always edit this post and remove my contact information.

dmccela@gmail.com

Thank you for all of the links. I will surely check them out soon, and hope to hear from you through email shortly.

My sophomores have now started reading! They're anxious to know if Mildred dies from the sleeping pills and are quite shocked by the ironic firemen. Precious things, they are.

OK! Hope to exchange!