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Interview with Anne Remis and Dennis HowardInterview by Mehroo Siddiqui
Anne Remis Born of a poor immigrant family, Anne Remis was the first in her family to achieve a college education. She came of age in difficult times-- the middle of the Great Depression, immediately followed by World War II-- and quickly confronted great personal difficulties, including a ten year battle with tuberculosis. After World War II, she acquired her Masters degree, and began her career teaching the disabled at a time when there were few proven methods for such teaching. Undaunted, she played a major role in developing new techniques that paved the way for some of the most advanced methods used today. In her 29 year career as a pioneer teacher of children with disabilities, she transformed the lives of many of her own students and indirectly influenced the lives of countless others through her innovative approach to her calling as a teacher. Ms. Remis, who celebrated her 90th birthday in December 2004, spent the last four years writing her heartwarming story, Miss Teach. It is her hope that this book can serve not only as a record of a time when education for children with disabilities was in its infancy, but also as a beacon for today's young teachers as they set out to meet new challenges in the field of special education. Dennis HowardDennis M. Howard is president and founder of The Movement for a Better America, Inc. He is also a veteran writer, editor, advertising creative director, and marketing consultant whose career spans more than 50 years. He claims he owes a lot of his success to the encouragement and guidance he received in the beginning of his career and always makes time for young writers just starting out in their careers.Ms. Remis, what inspired you to write this memoir? I always enjoyed telling stories. I guess it was part of what attracted me to teaching. When I told friends the stories of my experiences as a teacher, I often got the response, "You ought to write those things down." So after I retired I dreamed of gathering them all into a book. However, I also wanted people to understand how we got to where we are today, and that all our new technology didn't just happen. It came as a result of the hard work and dedication of those who went before us. In addition, technology may change, but the basics of good teaching do not. Was there ever a point, while you were writing, when you felt you couldn't go on? No, but there were times when I was impatient with the people who were trying to help me get the book done. I didn't realize all the complexities involved in producing a book, but thank the Lord they were there to help me or the book would never have been finished. The writing was fairly easy. It was the rest I didn't understand. What kind of a writing schedule did you follow? How long did it take you to complete the book? I tried to keep my stories short and to the point. In fact, it probably could have been expanded to twice the length. While I was writing, I wrote continuously for two hours a day, and it would take about three weeks to finish each section. I wrote in long hand, which is why it was subtitled "Handwritten with Love." Then my script had to be deciphered and transcribed and edited by a very talented niece. Of course, she and her husband also had other things to do, so it took a couple of years to complete the whole thing. Writing is like knitting. You just keep going until it's done, and make sure you don't drop any stitches. Tell us a little about the book, which part in it you like the most, and why? The stories about the children were the most fun to do because they are all still so fresh in my mind. That made them easy to write. They were the truth, the life, and the reason for the book. In a sense, the book is about what the children taught me. That's why I ended the book with the poem by Clare Tree Major, which reads, "Would you set your name among the stars? Then write it large upon the hearts of children. They will remember. Have you visions of a finer, happier world? Tell the children. They will build it for you." Tell us also about your experience as a first-time writer. Since you were in the field of education, was doing this a problem? Did you wish you had tried your hand at it earlier or would you like to write again? If so, what would you like to write? I never thought of myself as a first time writer. People think a writer is a special kind of person. Personally, I think every person has the ability to be a special kind of writer. We all have interesting stories to tell. All I did was tell mine in a way that was interesting. Yes, I'd like to write another book about all the changes in the way people live. We have more things than ever before, but things are not any easier at home, in school, on the streets, or the world of work. We're in danger of forgetting what makes us human. However, at 90 plus years and with all the help I would need, I'm not sure my friends could put up with me doing another book. Did you find writing about your experiences as a teacher in special education more difficult than the actual teaching itself? Well, a good teacher must first be a good communicator, so I just wrote the way I would have given a classroom lesson or told a story. You can tell by the stories in the book that writing about them was a lot easier than living them. I wrote comfortably with only a pencil, paper, and a dictionary. No reference books. I wrote as if talking to a group of people. You must have had an aim in mind when you decided to write your memoirs. What kind of a response did you hope for and do you think you have received it? I hoped readers would appreciate that children with handicaps have always been "special," and that teaching them is not a brand new field, and that it grew as the result of dedicated, creative teachers just like those who teach the handicapped today. The only difference is that we had to invent our own methods and tools. I am happy to say the book has gotten a wonderful response both from many of my former students and their families, as well as from families and teachers of children with disabilities today. In less than a year, we've shipped almost 1,000 copies. Some people thought we would be crazy to print more than 200 copies. Now we have 3,000 to go before all the copies are distributed. How did you find a publisher for your book? Did you have an agent who helped you with this? I was lucky in that my niece, who agreed to help me put the manuscript together, was married to a man who had more than 50 years experience in magazine and newspaper publishing and the creative marketing side of the advertising business. He kept putting his two cents in about the book, and before you know it, he became my editor, designer, agent, and publisher all rolled into one. He also ran a non-profit organization that wanted to start publishing books that suited its objectives, so they agreed to publish the book and worked out an approach so that the royalties would go to my favorite charity, CP Rochester, an organization that serves disabled children. It worked out well all around. And it sure beat the alternatives, including the long process of writing a book proposal, finding an agent and then a publisher who would take it on, or a vanity publisher. At my age, I didn't have time for all that. God was smiling on me, I guess. Ann Kurz writes, in her review of your book, that your first lesson taught you that you would be as much a learner there as the students. What are some of the most important things you learned there and can you say the same about writing? What did you learn when you wrote this memoir? As I wrote in the book, there are times when your most elaborate and well-researched lesson plan has to be put aside because you are faced with an opportunity to help six children in wheelchairs or on crutches experience the beauty of seeing six birds in a snow-covered tree. Teachers have to be open to such opportunities every day, so do the rest of us. We never stop learning. We always have to remain open to those serendipitous moments that make life easier, more productive, and rewarding. Mr. Howard, what was it about Ms. Remis's book proposal that caught your attention? How and when was the memoir brought to your notice? As the manuscript developed, my wife Anne kept telling me about the project and the realization slowly grew that this could be more than just a personal memoir written for family members. I could also see that there were certain gaps to be filled before it could make a salable book. The first and last chapters were among these. Ms. Remis also managed to come up with some great photographs that gave us a very nice picture section. I have Pagemaker software on my computer, and the book slowly took shape until I was completely happy with it. There are times when it pays to be a perfectionist. Then I ran into an old high school friend who had published over 500 books in the course of his career. Although it wasn't his kind of book, he gave me some excellent advice on publishing details and recommended a couple of printers, one of whom got the job and did an excellent job of it. As a byproduct of the book run, we were also able to get an attractive four-color promotion piece done on the same run as the cover, and then just imprinted the inside with the promotion copy. Obviously, my long experience in advertising and magazine and newspaper publishing came in handy. Were there any special challenges or benefits working with a writer who was writing for the first time and who had belonged to a different field previously? No. The only thing I insist on is that the writer listen to his or her editor and have a good story to tell that meets the editor's publishing objectives. When I was a magazine editor, I learned that there are four kinds of writers. Perhaps 90 per cent have nothing to say and say it poorly. They're a lost cause. There is another five per cent with nothing to say who say it beautifully. You can't do much with them either. Then there are about three per cent with something to say but not a clue in the world as to how to say it engagingly. If they are teachable, you can make some headway with them. And finally the top two per cent with something to say who say it beautifully. The best thing about Ms. Remis is that, like the good teacher she is, she was teachable. What would you want prospective authors to know before approaching your publishing company? First, The Movement for a Better America is a non-profit educational organization, not a commercial publisher, so we are only interested in projects that are related to our educational purposes, mainly promoting traditional family values and a pro-life, pro-family point of view. We were interested in Ms. Remis story as an example of what one person can do to leave America a better place for the next generation. Also, we can only undertake projects for which we can find funding. Check out our two websites, www.missteach.org and www.movementforabetteramerica.org. If you have an idea for a project that would fit our needs, send us an e-mail through either site. We are interested in hearing from people who share our commitments. What kind of advice would you give to writers who want to get published? I think it was Edison who said, "Genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration." That certainly applies to any major writing project. Nobody is going to publish your book because they like your looks. You have to put in the sweat equity. If you believe strongly enough in the idea, you will write it. My son just finished writing what I believe is a powerful first novel, but it is not our kind of book, so the next step for him is finding a publisher or an agent who believes in his book as much as he does. That is not easy, but remember that all you need is one publisher to say yes. If you have to go through a dozen or more to find the right one, all that counts is that yes. Finally, some writers have to make more than one attempt before they come up with a manuscript that sells. My favorite story is about a writer who kept taking creative writing courses and nothing her teacher could say to her would discourage her. She was also a housewife with four kids at home and became worried that she might be wasting her time and money. Finally, she asked him, "Is it time I gave up?" At last he had the opportunity to tell her what he hadn't had the courage to tell her before. "I hate to say this, Mrs. O'Connor, but yes, I think it is time to give up." Well, needless to say, a year later, she won a $25,000 first prize in a contest for novelists. He never told any writer to give up ever again. What sort of a response has this memoir received? The response from readers has been heartwarming, especially from young or aspiring teachers in the field, as well as parents and families of children with disabilities. Unfortunately, we don't have bundles of money to put into promoting it, but it has already sold four times as many copies as the pessimists thought it would, and sales are continuing at a steady rate. If Ms. Remis was physically up to doing radio and TV interviews and a book tour, I'm sure it would be doing better. But we're on track and we're pleased. Is there anything else about its publication process of this book that you would like to share with us? Since this was our first book, it was very much like a self-publishing venture-- in other words, a major learning experience. It helps to have as much experience as possible with publication design and printing production, and some background in editing and marketing and a real sense for what makes a good book. Add to that all the help and advice you can get from people who know the field, and there is no reason why you can't publish your own book if you're willing to do the work and have the funding. Lacking those elements, it can be like chasing fool's gold. Like the writer-editor relationship, you have to be willing to listen to those who are willing to help with sound advice. The old "garbage in, garbage out" rule applies. If you hand the printer a piece of crap, he'll be happy to charge you just as much for printing it as he would if you had handed him a masterpiece. But it will still be a piece of crap. Remember, the devil is in the details. A simple matter like not having a safe, secure, low cost place to store your inventory can eat up your margin on a book rapidly if it doesn't sell. Getting distribution through major book chains and wholesalers is a big hurdle, too. And then there is the inherent risk of returns, which are customary in the book trade. If you don't anticipate these problems and have solutions for them, your book could be a financial flop no matter how well written it is.
Originally from Pakistan, where she worked in the publications department of an organization, Mehroo Siddiqui is currently doing her Masters from George Mason University in Virginia. |
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