Cory is miserable. Just a few weeks into third grade, his normally good grades have turned terrible. And he knows why. It's that new teacher. She dresses weird, doesn't brush her hair, and is the only person in the classroom who laughs at her own dumb jokes. But worst of all, try as he might, Cory just can't seem to understand her. Everything she does upsets him.
Cory's mom knows what to do. She convinces Cory to look for just one thing that he and his teacher have in common ... just one. And if he can find that one connection, he'll get along with his teacher and his grades will improve.
She and Cory agree to try this strategy for one week, Monday through Friday. If he can't find anything about his teacher he likes by then, Mom will have a talk with the teacher. But Mom knows it would be much better for her to guide Cory into solving this problem himself.
As the week progresses, Cory comes home from school each day with the same answer to Mom's same question. No, he couldn't find anything he liked about his teacher today.
As the deadline approaches, Mom starts to worry. What if this teacher truly doesn't have anything to offer? Could Cory remain in her class for years to come? Would he still be in third grade when he was sixteen years old? She could just envision the newspaper headlines if that were to happen.
Does Cory eventually find some common ground with his teacher? Does he eventually pass third grade and maybe even learn to like her? Or does his mom have to have a chat with the teacher, the principal, the school board, or who knows who?
The story of Cory, his mom, and his teacher shows why looking for the best in a person helps us find the gift of connection and understanding.
Author Sandy Adams of Trafalgar, Indiana, employs her experiences as a parent and substitute teacher to fashion a heart-warming tale born out of a real story, though she has "enhanced" the original quite a bit. Children and adults alike will laugh and learn throughout, while also enjoying rich, colorful illustrations by Bryan Werts of Louisville, Kentucky.
Sandy Adams was born in Seymour, Indiana, and raised on a Jackson County farm between the small towns of Freetown and Spraytown. Living on a 200-acre farm with only neighbor boys made her a tomboy. And growing up in the sparsely populated area also caused her to develop an active and vivid imagination.A graduate of Freetown High School and a resident of Trafalgar, Sandy has held down forty-two jobs, including thirty-two different lines of work, from janitor to residential home builder, substitute teacher, secretary, beautician, and many more. She contributed columns to the Indian Creek Scout, a weekly newspaper, in the 1990s.A 4-H club leader for more than forty years, Sandy is a member of a garden club, Trafalgar United Methodist Church, Moving Forward with God, and carried the Olympic Torch during the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Torch Relay. She has a cosmetology degree and also enjoys crocheting, vegetable and flower gardens, writing poems for her own pleasure, singing in the church choir, and drawing.She was married for fifty-four years to the "love of her life," Coy, who passed away in 2021. She has two sons, two granddaughters, three great-grandchildren, and a stepgreat-granddaughter.Having celebrated her seventy-sixth birthday earlier this year, one of her bits of advice is: "You're never too old to do something in your life. Find your passion and make it happen!"One Crazy Connection is her first book.
I have always love to draw. Since I could first hold a crayon, pencil or pen I was doodling and drawing. When I was 6, I went to see the Disney classic Pete's Dragon. I was so taken with the images on the screen after the movie I went home and drew the dragon Elliot ( created by one of my main influences Mr. Don Bluth!) by memory .As the years rolled on I kept drawing and creating finding a kinship with cartoons, videogames, music, and movies - in other words a media junkie! My imagination helps fuel my talent and desire each day I look forward to creating. BW Creations has actually been around for over 10 years but very much as my own private little enterprise. Now I plan to build it into a brand that will showcase my talents though avenues for kids and adults alike. Please feel free to look around the site, buy something if you like, have a look at my works, and above all I hope you feel inspired to create something of your own no matter what your talent is!
Paul J. Hoffman has been involved in publishing since 1985. He worked as a sports writer, news editor, and special publications editor at newspapers in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana during a 34-year career in journalism. He's penned two nonfiction/true crime/history books through The History Press and published two books of memoirs for other authors through his company, 18% Gray Publishing, before purchasing PathBinder from founder Heather Hummel in May 2020. He lives in Columbus, Indiana, with his wife, Kimberly, a children's author.
