Home
Children’s Book Author Joins Scheck Hillel Faculty
How often do you get to read a book written by your classroom teacher? Our Grade 4 students are lucky to be doing just that! Scheck Hillel’s Lower School recently welcomed a new faculty member, Kenneth Derby, who is also an award-winning author.
Students are reading autographed copies of “The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of School,” one of Mr. Derby’s books. He recently read a chapter to all of Grade 4, sprinkling it with personal stories about his characters and writing style. He encouraged students to use their imagination and the world around them to come up with story ideas. Mr. Derby also suggested reading many different types of authors to find styles that appeal to them. One of his inspirations is Louis Sachar, writer of “Holes” and “Sideways Stories From Wayside School.”
During the reading, Mr. Derby paused to ask questions about word play and metaphors, schoolhouse incidents and character descriptions. Students think it’s awesome to be able to ask Mr. Derby the hows and the whys of his stories. We are lucky to have him as a teacher and role model for aspiring writers.
