Janis Ross
Bio
Janis is a fiction author and teacher trying to navigate the world around her through writing. She is currently working on her latest novel while trying to get her last one published.
Stories (76/0)
Work Boots
I change my work boots once a year. I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m telling you this, but hear me out. I’m a building foreman. Well, forewoman, if you want to be technical about it. I oversee construction sites with hundreds of people under me on a daily basis, and we complete several projects annually. What does this have to do with my boots? Hang on, we’re getting there.
By Janis Ross2 years ago in Fiction
May Tired
The first month or so of school has historically been a period of adjustment for teachers and students. Ask any teacher, especially the ones who didn’t teach summer school, and they’ll tell you that the first few weeks usually leaves them longing for naps at the end of the day. Returning to the routines that govern school life take time.
By Janis Ross3 years ago in Education
A More Subdued Birthday
On August 4th, I turn 30 years old. I’ve been considering for months what this milestone birthday would mean to me - joked with my friends about my body giving out, examined and reframed my personal goals, tried to make plans even though I’m working summer school.
By Janis Ross3 years ago in Psyche
History's Impact
Could this really be the place? This rubble of what once had been a set of brownstones, the stones, wiring, and pieces of old furniture was staring back at me as if daring me to move them, with walls still standing here and there but mostly open to the sky. Charlie told me that this would be where I’d find the answers I was looking for. The mystery surrounding who I was and where I had come from. The reason that people looked at me sideways or crossed to the other side of the road when they saw me coming. It was lonely enough living nowadays, but to have only a few people who will even bother to talk to me, let alone be my friend, was a lot to deal with.
By Janis Ross3 years ago in Fiction
The Stories That Inspired Me
If you're not writing, you should be reading. When I first started taking writing fiction really seriously, that was the message trumpeted across all of my research as I learned about editors and querying and getting an agent. You've always got to be trying to improve your craft; what better way than by reading the work of others?
By Janis Ross3 years ago in Journal
Others Have It Worse...
Teachers are trained to recognize the signs of mental health issues. We may not be able to formally diagnose them, but we can see the signs and refer them to the experts. Often, we're right. An overly fidgety child may have ADHD. A child who struggles with basic academic tasks might have a processing disorder. And there are many signs of the Autism spectrum that we are trained to notice as well.
By Janis Ross3 years ago in Psyche
Timing Is Everything
Nearly 30 years ago, I was born on an Air Force Base in Misawa, Japan. I became the first of four children; as such, I think I can safely say that there were many expectations placed on me. Some of them I placed on myself as I got older. But the one that has eluded me thus far, the one that I want the most, is becoming a published author.
By Janis Ross3 years ago in Journal
Fleeing
The pounding of her feet was nearly as furious as the rain that tried to blind her as she ran. She stumbled over rocks and roots, splashing mud on herself and sometimes tumbling head over heels over the rocky terrain. But she couldn't stop. Stopping would mean failing. Failing would mean death.
By Janis Ross3 years ago in Humans
An Ode to the School Mom
Moms. We all have them. Those of us who were privileged enough to have our mothers in our lives know the immense support and comfort in a mother's presence; the advice, the late-night phone calls, the money sent here and there without being requested.
By Janis Ross3 years ago in Education