Proof You Can Accomplish Your Dream

Eight years ago, I started writing a book. This week it was published.

Lockers Speak occurs as the students exit the school to begin summer break. They leave behind the lockers who personify their thoughts and emotions. As an administrator walks the empty halls, she reflects on the events of the school year. The voices whispering, sometimes screaming from the lockers share stories of friendship, academic struggles, death, abuse, celebrations, and basic human experiences.

This book is a compilation of students’ thoughts. The words presented through verse stand-alone but together intertwine to create a glimpse of society. Youth bring to school more than their backpacks. They hold a unique perspective because with them they carry memories, aspirations, and dreams as well as every emotion, event, and person who influenced their identities, complicated by issues that may not be new to their generation but are enhanced by the 24/7 broadcasting of news and social media.

Public schools present a microcosm of society. The voices on these pages provide snapshots of teens growing up in modern society. Collectively, they share the story of our culture. Sometimes the speakers blatantly state facts without realizing the secrets they reveal; others share little directly. With each student, a story evolves like a puzzle, and with each voice the pieces assemble to provide a glimpse into their realities.

Lockers Speak emerged from the voices of these students. Though the individuals are fictional, the events and emotions reflect experiences from the author’s thirty-four-year career in public education. With the desire to use writing as a tool for students to understand themselves and their world, the author prompted students in her classrooms to write about personal adversity. The students became excited to tell their stories, knowing someone was going to listen. Those essays became the catalyst for this text.

Lockers Speak provides adults: parents, educators, counselors, anyone invested in America’s youth a glimpse into their minds. The words also provide a means for teens to hear from others that they are not alone as it shares the everyday, common experiences that provide life joy while challenging survival. Through students’ voices, it reveals the commonalities of life’s experiences.

To hear the thoughts of teens, order Lockers Speak now.

Book excerpts

Len Ma

Daddy is gone

He didn’t die

That might be easier

We lost him to the world

It was a shock to watch him

walk away from our life,

his childhood sweetheart and daughter

The truth hurt; there was another woman

Mom’s absence was subtle

She remained in the room

Nonexistent. Drinking non-nourishing

sustenance that camouflaged as courage

Mom said she felt hurt, unwanted

Never acknowledging my numbness

When life seems hopeless

A child stops feeling

Dad never said anything because

he never visited, until he did

Then, they both made promises

as near perfect as imaginable

One week with Mom – one with Dad

When the world reached out again,

Daddy taught me forever is short

Love is conditional

Mom remarried a great guy

I welcomed the new man into the house

When my brother was born,

the walls warmed into a home

We are a family of four

Three adults and an infant

At thirteen,

my childhood is over

Kellen Labate

Coach says the definition of character is

When you act the same way when someone is watching or not

I told him that’s me. I don’t try to impress

He said, “That’s not what I mean.”

Huh.

Chance says I missed the point but couldn’t explain it

He’s kind of a pleaser, says he wants to be respected

I say respect isn’t earned like that

A guy must stand up for himself

Now, the real kiss-up is that ginger,

David Clark, a major brown-noser

Really pushes my buttons

So, I push back - a little

He tries to ignore me, takes whatever I dish out

needs to grow some balls

See, I treat him the same whether

someone is watching or not

Brenda Mahler is a retired educator with 34 years' experience. As an English teacher and administrator, she learned about life from her students as a silent observer. She carries the memories of the students who taught compassion, the value of overcoming challenges, and the need to compromise. Her passion for teaching grew each year as she realized the power of one person to make a difference in the lives of others. Lockers Speak allows the voices of youth from her past to speak their truths.

As a wife, mother and grandmother, Brenda writes about life experiences acknowledging that everyday hold opportunities to learn, grow, and inspire. Her writing can be enjoyed on multiple websites. Join the 3K+ readers who follow her by visiting any one of the many sites where she publishes.

• Medium's digital magazine where she enjoys top writer status and is editor of multiple publications
• Vocal Media where her stories repeatedly earn Top Story status
• Manystories a platform that features her stories and makes thematic collections available to readers
• I AM My Best, her personal blog