Dan Gemeinhart Visits Challenger!

On Thursday, May 23rd, author Dan Gemeinhart came to speak with our 2-5th graders. Dan is a former teacher-librarian, National Board Certified Teacher and now has embraced a full time career as a writer.

His message was not only inspiring, but a true testimony of what grit and determination look like in action. He spoke of how he dreamed of being a writer for years, but realized one day that a DREAM is not the same as a GOAL. What he needed was a goal! "A dream is something we want," he said, "but a goal is something you work towards." While working towards his goal of becoming a published author he face rejection, BIG TIME! Dan's books were rejected 99 times before one was finally accepted! Lucky number 100, no joke! Dan shared a number of things he has learned along his writing journey and here are a couple of key takeaways:

1. It's ain't about talent, it is about WORK. And determination. And not giving up!

2. The most important and powerful story you get to tell the world is how to live your life.

I think many students were surprised just how difficult it is to become a published author! The visit was a success and I feel so lucky and blessed to have a school community that supports books, author visits, and most importantly, READING!