How One Retired Teacher Found Her Second Act in Storytelling

Writing After Teaching (My First Inspiration) 

I was an inspired teacher.  I experienced my first nudge of a dream to become an elementary school teacher in second grade – largely due to the teacher I was blessed to have in second grade.  

With her positive and kind spirit, “Miss B” was as skilled at motivating us to fulfill our academic requirements, as she was creating a classroom atmosphere that was welcoming, creative, and collaborative – encouraging us to thrive.  I wanted to be a teacher just like her. 

Essentially, Miss B planted a seed in my seven-year-old-self that would flourish into a career I adored – but interestingly would continue to blossom into my second act as an author when I retired from teaching.

How Teaching Informed My Writing 

My teaching career was defined by two tenure areas – Second Grade & SAIL – both of which helped to shape my author persona. Being the teacher didn’t exclude me from also being a student in my own classroom.  In second grade the integration of teaching the processes of Reading and Writing had an integral and personal impact on me as a writer. 

Children’s literature offers a goldmine of opportunities for children to meet diverse characters in unique settings, who face a myriad of obstacles that challenge them to find creative and imaginative solutions to overcome them.  It offered me a goldmine of opportunities to explore a wide array of genres, authors, and children’s books (a budding writer’s toolbox).

Stepping outside and beyond the book, children learn how to apply what they’ve experienced through the colorful, artful illustrations and playful language found in children’s literature to their own writing. Likewise I became more in-tune with diverse language conventions and how their use effectively enhanced stories. 

Then, as one of our district’s Enrichment Program (SAIL) teachers,  I worked with children in grades Kindergarten through Grade 5 to teach and facilitate Critical and Creative Thinking Skills between two of our elementary schools.  Thus, each week I had a wealth of interaction with children spanning ages from 5 -11, and all of the creativity, imagination, ‘outside the box’ thinking, and innovative ideas these varied age groups brought to the table – along with their opinions about the literature we shared in this program. 

Both teaching venues included a broad range of literary and writing genres (fiction, non-fiction) across core subjects (reading, writing, science, math) broadening my own perspectives and skills. 

I was not only the conductor and facilitator of such a rich curriculum, I was an observer and participant with a front-row seat to learn – albeit through a different lens – the art of children’s book literature along withthe students I was teaching. The totality of my classroom experience was as much a process of my own hands-on continuing education as it was a teaching career. 

Pursuing My Passion:  Chapter 2

Storytelling has been a part of me for as long as I can remember.  I always liked to write and did so with poetry being my favorite writing genre.  

As a young adult, I began embracing the idea of writing children’s books and started drafting manuscripts. I’d work on them, put them aside; research publishing options from time to time – and the idea of actually becoming a published author “someday, when the time was right” transformed into a dream. That time came when I retired.  

At first, I continued to tiptoe around this new passion, unsure if I still had the energy for such an ambitious goal. But then, as if “the universe” was offering reassurance, newly celebrated children’s book authors were consistently popping into my frames of reference and I began to seriously ask myself:  Why not my books?  Why not now?

My first children’s book launched in 2023; my second in May 2025.  Nothing compares to the sense of accomplishment I feel when I hold my books in my hand – experiencing the characters that lived in my imagination come to life on the pages of my books. Having parents, grandparents, and kids themselves share how they “love” my stories is soul-food.  

As any journey worth taking, becoming a published author wasn’t seamless. In fact, it was quite challenging and still is.  Navigating the Children’s Book Publishing Industry has been a lofty endeavor. But for me, the emotional and creative fulfillment of pursuing this passion later in life has been invaluable. 

It’s never too late to pursue a dream.  Acknowledge the passion you already have inside you and take a leap of faith – in yourself – to pursue your own “Next Chapter” dreams. Connect with local and social media communities that share your same passion and goals. Take the step. 

Only you can imagine your possibilities and give them wings.  Soar!  

Terri Lilga is the author of There’s a Hubbard in My Cupboard and Santa’s Simon.