…Than Long Division
By Scott Vaughan
I was staring out the classroom window, imagining an epic confrontation between the U.S. Cavalry and proud Apache warriors. Occasionally, I would stop to write down what my mind’s eye was envisioning in the parking lot of my elementary school.
As the heroic scene unfolded, I became aware of a shadow, which belonged to Carolyn Hicks, my fourth-grade teacher, looming over my desk. She had been trying her best to teach long division (which I hated then and still hate today), and she abruptly snatched up my story and told me to see her at the end of class.
Even after this uncomfortable confrontation, Mrs. Hicks was still one of my favorite teachers. Rather than berate me for my lack of attention in math, she looked beyond the surface of my behavior and recognized my passion for writing. To encourage me, she suggested that I work on the stories at home, and when I brought them to school, she invited me to read them to our class. Eventually, I was sharing my tales over the intercom system with the entire school.
A few years later, I had Teresa Day for seventh-grade English. When I told her I was going on a Boy Scout campout, she assigned me the task of writing a report about that two-night experience. After editing my narrative, she then walked with me to the local newspaper, at the end of the school day, where I was paid $1.25 for the submission of this story. I also received a promise from the editor that the newspaper would continue to publish anything else I decided to submit. Since that first $1.25,
I’ve been paid to write for 55 years.
I went on to college and studied journalism at the University of Georgia. This vocational path brought my family and me to Lexington in 1991 and, ultimately, led to a communications career in which I have helped churches and non-profits. Along the way, I’ve continued to write for publications near and far, and I’ve come full circle by writing this entry for my friend,
Tracy Tuten, with Our Town Magazine.
In October, I will publish my seventh book since 2014. Because of my sons’ encouragement, this one will be a Western titled, The Double X, an action-packed story set in Montana and Arizona during 1881. My first six publications are fictionalized accounts that are based on true stories from my life.
This career of mine, which has been a lot of fun and has had so many chapters and angles, was set in motion when I was nine years old by a teacher who saw much further and deeper than long division. So, thank you, educators! Thank you for the way you see each child individually and help them to move their lives forward.
May God bless the school year before you!
