Christine Dunn

Where are you now?

N.R. Burger Middle School, Hattisburg, MS

Tell us about yourself. 

I grew up a reader. I was a monster, devouring every book I could get my hands on. Books have always been my constant companions where being a military brat and moving every three years, I didn't always have real people to hang out with. Bilbo Baggins, Sir Gawain of Orkney, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie, Keladry of Mindeln, Frank and Joe Hardy, Nancy Drew, Taran and Eilonwy, Will and Halt - I always knew they were there on the shelf. As I read, something magical began to happen to me. A little niggling thought began to grow in my mind - that little thought that perhaps I could write stories of my own. At first I only managed a few short stories, most of which I never even finished, much less edited. Then a few years ago I found out about this wonderful writing event in November called NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, where the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. When I started, I couldn't imagine ever actually making the goal of 50,000 words, but despite starting eight days late and my computer dying a few days before the end of the month, I still wrote 40,000 words. Since then I've finished four more novels, a pilot script for a television show, and started numerous more projects. In short, I found my passion.

But, while literature is a passion of mine almost everyone I've ever met knows about, I had another passion that took a little bit of getting to know me to realize. I absolutely adored working with children. As I prepared for my freshman year in college, I did a lot of soul searching as I considered what I wanted to do with my life. As I talked to the people closest to me about what the future held, I got asked a couple of times, "Have you ever considered teaching?" I immediately dismissed them. I couldn't teach! While I loved English, I couldn't see myself day in and day out teaching other subjects I wasn't passionate about, because the idea of being just an English teacher had never crossed my mind. As I continued to consider my future, however, I couldn't imagine not having a job that involved working with children, especially when it gave me so much joy to see a kid's face light up with understanding. That's why I wanted to be an English teacher. I wanted, almost more than anything else in the world, to be able to share my passion for the written word with others.