Thoroughly enjoyed this read, start to finish. So much in here about the lies we tell ourselves in life, how/when they start, how they’re reinforced. Liked that you cut against cliche (and reality?) with the administrator supporting the teacher. Also, heavy respect for the POV choice. Dig that. Guy in my writing group recently recommended Bright Lights Big City for the POV and tbh, this felt easier to read than what I’ve read of that one so far.
Matt--thank you! I really appreciate this close read. I did, when I started this story, want to challenge myself--to stretch myself--by trying a piece in the 2nd-person. I wrote it in about a week, maybe five years ago, and have revised it two or three times since before posting it on Substack at the beginning of this school year. It received some reads then--it seems that @ClancySteadwell's review has boosted its visibility recently, which I'm incredibly grateful for. And Bright Lights Big City is a book that I really enjoyed when I read it when I was 27 or 28. I certainly thought about it when I wrote this--I love that first chapter. Thank you for the favorable comparison!
Thank you, Adam! If you liked “Cheaters,” you might get a kick out of “Ornamental Pond Fish of Southwest Kansas” and “Prague,” too. The former starts with teenagers gathering tumbleweeds for a woman who sells them on the internet and ends in the aftermath of a high school party, and the latter, well… it’s a college story set in Kansas about a writer, a someday-to-be-famous poet, and the good and bad choices we make figuring out who we want to be in life. My novel, Why Teach?, has recently been getting some notice, too. You seem like a member of my ideal audience—if you’d like to listen while driving your tractor or doing some farm work in the cold, I’ve got read-alouds for each chapter, and it’s there to be read, of course, as well! Honored to have you as a reader!
Authentic assessment is about the trickiest needle to thread in our subject area - but any step away from rote comprehension quizzes and open-ended essay prompts, with the cheating they engender, is a good one in my book. 2nd person was a savvy choice of voice, too: it imbued the story with an emotional specificity, while still letting the themes and situations feel universal. Having Ms. Gris repudiate the cheating colleague at the end was a nice touch, as it really affirmed that she was well on a new path to self-respect and meaning in both professional and personal spheres of life.
Thanks for the follow: looking forward to reading what's next in store! Onward! 🤝
Wow! The moment where the parent says they worked so hard in the meeting. And the connection to the financial crisis. And the turn at the end with the poetry, the discussions, the thanks. So much going on here.
Wow! I don't see a lot of second-person narration, but this one landed so well. It made my stomach clench in sympathetic stress. Bravo, Peter!
Thank you, Sara! The highest praise for my work so far has been the quality of the readers it has attracted—I appreciate you!
Thoroughly enjoyed this read, start to finish. So much in here about the lies we tell ourselves in life, how/when they start, how they’re reinforced. Liked that you cut against cliche (and reality?) with the administrator supporting the teacher. Also, heavy respect for the POV choice. Dig that. Guy in my writing group recently recommended Bright Lights Big City for the POV and tbh, this felt easier to read than what I’ve read of that one so far.
Matt--thank you! I really appreciate this close read. I did, when I started this story, want to challenge myself--to stretch myself--by trying a piece in the 2nd-person. I wrote it in about a week, maybe five years ago, and have revised it two or three times since before posting it on Substack at the beginning of this school year. It received some reads then--it seems that @ClancySteadwell's review has boosted its visibility recently, which I'm incredibly grateful for. And Bright Lights Big City is a book that I really enjoyed when I read it when I was 27 or 28. I certainly thought about it when I wrote this--I love that first chapter. Thank you for the favorable comparison!
Damn, Peter. What a ride. 👏
Thank you, Adam! If you liked “Cheaters,” you might get a kick out of “Ornamental Pond Fish of Southwest Kansas” and “Prague,” too. The former starts with teenagers gathering tumbleweeds for a woman who sells them on the internet and ends in the aftermath of a high school party, and the latter, well… it’s a college story set in Kansas about a writer, a someday-to-be-famous poet, and the good and bad choices we make figuring out who we want to be in life. My novel, Why Teach?, has recently been getting some notice, too. You seem like a member of my ideal audience—if you’d like to listen while driving your tractor or doing some farm work in the cold, I’ve got read-alouds for each chapter, and it’s there to be read, of course, as well! Honored to have you as a reader!
What a ride! Loved and related to every part of it. Can’t wait for what’s next.
Authentic assessment is about the trickiest needle to thread in our subject area - but any step away from rote comprehension quizzes and open-ended essay prompts, with the cheating they engender, is a good one in my book. 2nd person was a savvy choice of voice, too: it imbued the story with an emotional specificity, while still letting the themes and situations feel universal. Having Ms. Gris repudiate the cheating colleague at the end was a nice touch, as it really affirmed that she was well on a new path to self-respect and meaning in both professional and personal spheres of life.
Thanks for the follow: looking forward to reading what's next in store! Onward! 🤝
Wow! The moment where the parent says they worked so hard in the meeting. And the connection to the financial crisis. And the turn at the end with the poetry, the discussions, the thanks. So much going on here.