Jamel C. Campbell on Teaching and Writing

From Teaching to Writing

From Listening to Reading to Writing My Own Stories

by Jamel C. Campbell

I’ve always been into books, spurred on by the stories my mother would read to me before bed—most of which didn’t have a lot of illustrations, so I had to use my imagination to visualize them—and the stories told to me by elders in my family, especially my grandmothers. Stories of times past and family members who had passed on grabbed my attention. Stories about the Caribbean and the way they lived are still fresh in my mind.

In nursery school I loved story time, circle time, and listening to my educators read. I would often pick up my favorite books and retell them using my own words because I couldn’t read yet. When I played with small world toys or action figures, I would recreate stories from my favorite cartoons and books. I have fond memories of putting a handbag’s handles over my shoulders to make a backpack and holding a rolling pin, pretending to be a Ghostbuster. I loved cartoons so much that I would make my own props and act out episodes. Once I could read, write, and draw, I would draw scenes or scenarios.

Working in the education/early years sector in the UK has influenced the way I write and my storytelling. Initially I would make up stories, read them to my family and friends, and amend my manuscripts according to their critiques. Then one day I realized that as a teacher telling stories daily, the best people to test out my ideas on were the children in my care.

I started by freestyling, making up stories on the spot that were highly influenced by my Caribbean heritage, cartoons, and love of stories. If the children liked it, I would write down the initial idea. Once I got home, I would restructure it and fill in the blank areas, then test it out on the children again the following day.

What I love about the feedback I get from children is the honesty: they genuinely and organically react to points that they connect with, and they display different emotions based on the way the stories make them feel. They connect with stories that speak to them and reflect their lived experiences, where they can see themselves being represented, often with humor and emotion . Knowing this helps me make my stories more child-centered.

I wrote Olu’s Teacher (Candlewick, 2024) from the point of view and voice of a child based on my twenty-five years of experience in teaching and interacting with my students/children. Reading it to kids is a joy, because they react to so many parts of the story like the twists and turns on a roller coaster. They copy the repeated refrains; they ask questions and relate back to their own experiences. And with the amazing and lush illustrations from Lydia Mba, the children can not only connect with the words but also see illustrations that relate to their daily experiences.

Olu’s Teacher can be used to talk about the transitions that children make throughout their lives, such as when starting preschool or elementary school. It’s also about the importance of having a child-centered approach when supporting the learning and development of a child, especially when helping children settle into a new environment or building positive relationships within an educational setting. It highlights that every teacher is different and that teachers come in all shapes and sizes, cultures and races. Each one brings something different to the table, which should be celebrated.

From listening to reading to writing my own stories, this journey has been amazing. My relationship with books grows daily, and as I create, I see the importance of my role and my place in this industry.