Deanna G Keller

Growing up, being a teacher was not in my mind—being a writer was. When I think of earlier memories of writing, I think back to first grade and Mrs. Newsome in connection to the physical act of writing due to her comments on my poor penmanship. To a six year old little girl who was the size of a 4-year old this woman towered over me, not only physically (I’m still certain to this day, that she was 6-feet tall), but in her cursive writing, which was as beautiful as calligraphy. Try as I might I could just not get my little hands to make that pencil flow as fluidly as hers. I still remember her cutting remarks and how they made me feel inadequate at such a young age. Over the years I worked extra hard, to not only improve my penmanship, but to match that calligraphy style feel—a feat I did master over time. Later I started carrying a notebook and number two pencil with me, frantically scribbling in one of my notebooks (awful poetry). In retrospect, I believe that drive for the physical perfection of writing is what led me to burning the first red spiral notebook filled with dreadfully written rhymes. Though the poetry was horrible, it helped me process events of my childhood and early teens. Many times I simply wrote what I saw around me. Details about the day or secrets and buried thoughts—not sharing what I wrote with anyone. I later burned those notebooks as well, but the idea of writing as therapy stuck with me. In burning those notebooks I felt that I burned not only the idea of writing poetry, but also some of the events as well.

In addition to writing, reading has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Lying under the apricot tree in our backyard as a child I remember absorbing The Boxcar Children and Little Women. During my adolescent years Go Ask Alice, and authors such as Isaac Asimov, George Orwell, and Sylvia Plath filled my time. Those books, and others, transported me from a difficult childhood to faraway places. I also discovered that with writing I could deal with trials in my life. All along the way I learned that to write well a person has to read, and to really read one has to think, criticize, doubt, wonder, and stand amazed by words that dance on the page. My graduate classes truly unlocked those connections for me. No matter how straightforward a story or essay may seem, the search for something deeper within it leads to insights that teach more about the world and the different ways people use language to clarify their thinking. Literature allows us to capture and interpret what happens to us personally and apply it to the world as a whole. I learned that If we want to truly be a part of human society, it is critical to take part in the self-realization that comes from literature. This lesson is one I aim to pass along to future students.

I completed my Associate in Arts at Lake Superior College. My undergraduate in English was completed at the College of St. Scholastica. While working on master’s in English at Arizona State University and thinking about what route I wanted to teach, I found myself drawn to literature and writing.

Incidentally, I still love to physically write in a paper journal with a number two pencil.

Deanna G Keller, LPN, CTT, MA

Deanna.Keller@LSC.edu