"Telling Eyes" by Suzanne Cottrell
– If only I had known this earlier.
Teacher and students see themselves in a new light.
Suzanne Cottrell, a member of Taste Life Twice Writers, Creative Voices, and NC Writers’ Network, lives with her husband in Granville County, North Carolina. An outdoor enthusiast and retired teacher, she enjoys reading, writing, knitting, hiking, Pilates, and yoga. Her prose has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including five Personal Story Publishing Project anthologies, three Prolific Press anthologies, Dragon Poet Review, Dual Coast Magazine, Parks and Points, and Nailpolish Stories. She’s the author of three poetry chapbooks: Gifts of the Seasons, Autumn and Winter; Gifts of the Seasons, Spring and Summer; and Scarred Resilience (Kelsay Books). www.suzanneswords.com
Author’s Talk
Suzanne Cottrell
Having completed a writing craft workshop on extended metaphors, I eagerly applied what I’d learned to my original story idea of training to be a history teacher, but I was overzealous in my application. My story was drowning with too many distracting water analogies. I neglected telling my readers why I eventually remained in the field of special education for 27 years of my 35-year teaching career.
Thanks to the feedback from the members of my two writers’ groups: Taste Life Twice and Creative Voices, as well as constructive comments and encouragement from Randell Jones, I abandoned the water analogy and re-examined the essence of my story. What did my eyes and the eyes of my students reveal? As I dug deeper, “Telling Eyes” exposed my vulnerability and brought to the surface previously suppressed feelings of inadequacy as I struggled with reading in school and separation anxiety, resulting from my parent’s hostile divorce. As an adult, I gained a better understanding of those challenges.
Desiring to help people, as well as myself, I obtained skills to empower adults and children with strategies to compensate for their learning deficits, I, too, could learn ways to offset my visual and auditory processing disorders, which contributed to my lack of confidence. My students and I have benefited from the rewards of building our self-esteem and meaningful relationships. Putting my parents’ divorce in perspective has enabled me to mediate rather than avoid conflicts.
Revising this story provided the opportunity to reflect on my choices and uncover emotions, which created twists and turns throughout my life. I’ve acknowledged some past emotions, have let them go, and have overcome my insecurity. Now, my words and my eyes can tell a similar story. I hope by sharing some of my experiences, others will reflect on their choices, will face their challenges, and live without regrets.—Suzanne Cottrell
