I have just learned that my Grade 3 teacher, Mrs. Rokne has passed away. She was extremely beloved in my elementary and personally, she is basically entirely responsible for my love of fantasy books.

She used to read to my class for a half hour every day, a variety of books. One day, she read to us Brian Jacques' Bellmaker. The class did not like it, or more accurately the class couldn't really follow along and fell asleep here and there, but I loved the book.

When she decided not to read it anymore, she leant it to me because I was enraptured. I spent the rest of the week and the weekend right after, plowing through the entire book, something like 350 pages.

I actually read it twice in that span (following Dandin and Mariel first and then later reading through Joseph's story). She was so impressed I read it in a week that she gave me Mossflower and Redwall next. Rest in Peace Mrs. Rokne.

I hope wherever she is, she can see the effect of what she taught me and how I'm a professional writer now too. Chasing dreams and creating worlds at a keyboard because she gave me gentle first steps forward into being inspired.

Thank you for sharing this. She was my mom, and I will miss her always. My father and brother are not on Bluesky, so I took a screen shot and sent it to them both, as well as to my wife. I think my father in particular will find solace in your series of posts.