Once Upon a Mattox

Where wonder meets words.

Category: Uncategorized

  • Signs of Encouragement: Staying Strong as an Educator

    Lately, I’ve found myself feeling a bit discouraged, even weary, doing my job. Teaching today looks so different from when I first started 25 years ago. The kids are still amazing. They are full of energy and heart. However, many of them carry emotional burdens. They have stories of trauma that no child should ever…

  • I try to love this magical time of year… really, I do, but WOW! It’s starting to feel more like a trial than a fun little fair. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching kids get excited walking in the door, telling me my decorations look cool, and when they get a new book in…

  • Once upon a time, I had a dream. Over the years, as a mom, teacher, and now school librarian, I have fallen in love with stories. I have dreamed of the day that I could create my own. I lacked the confidence, though, to get it done. Here I am, at the age of 52,…

  • If I lost all my possessions, the first thing I’d do is have a little cry for the things that are irreplaceable, like my pets and pictures. I tend to be an emotional person! Once I got that out of my system and had a moment to reflect on the importance of those lost items,…

  • I’m a big child at heart I think. When I first thought about writing, I knew it would be children’s books first. As I started writing, I didn’t imagine a big publishing desk or a stack of manuscripts. I pictured a child, sitting cross-legged on a rug, eyes wide, listening to a story unfold, or…