Marilyn Bishop Shaw

Living in Florida my entire life doesn’t mean I’ve seen it all. My first trip to Sebring was brief but fun. The drive was interesting because, though I’d not been to Sebring, I have been in that region and was firmly reminded of two things. The increased development illustrates how much Florida has changed in the past couple of decades and the contrasts between the terrain there and in North Florida were stark.

The lake-dotted region I remembered with rolling hill after hill lined with lush green citrus trees – mostly orange – is now bustling with people and traffic. I missed those straight rows of shiny deep green trees and recalled family vacations when we stopped our un-air conditioned car at citrus stands offering all the freshly squeezed orange juice we could drink. Really! All we could drink. Of course, even then I wondered if the owners really meant all you could drink for OJ guzzlers like my brother and me!

The other reminder was the contrast between the development of the cattle industry in north and south Florida. Building relatively small herds, north Florida cow hunters pushed their merchandise out of thick woods and shipped from northern Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast ports as well as train lines north. The lush vegetation and rich soil built comparatively small farms and ranches. The south Florida cattle industry grew from cow hunters covering vast prairies dotted with clumps of palms and palmettos who shipped from south Florida Gulf ports – mostly in the Ft. Myers area. From these early efforts grew ranches comprised of thousands of acres because more land was needed to provide food for cattle in that region. Some of those ranches are still active family operations and several have already found ways to assure their conservation and protection.

It was to have interesting things to think about on the long drive. I circled part of the lake and found the historical and still charming Hotel. Reading coach and excellent organizer, Candis Dean and I had a delicious dinner then met again at the school the next morning. The stage set designed by Candis was the perfect backdrop for the day. I was pleased to see principal, Sandra Whidden, whom I had met at the Just Read! Florida Conference in August of 2007. After her introduction, and a whip-cracking welcome by a seventh grader from a long time Florida ranching family, I met with the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in three sessions.

Sebring Middle read Solomon as a school wide read-aloud and timed it so that I could open each session by reading the final few pages of the book – a creative and effective way to move into our discussions. Then I answered student and teacher questions. Since I see such students daily in my work, I wasn’t surprised that they posed excellent questions and offered interesting observations about Solomon, including what should happen to him next.

Lunch was the best sloppy joe I’ve ever had, (catered by Candis’ husband from their restaurant, Schooni’s, in Lake Placid) and was attended by about forty poster contest winners. All students submitted a poster capturing a scene or element from Solomon and, based on the student-produced slide show of the winning creations, it must have been devilish to select winners. After lunch and conversation we returned to the commons area where I met with students and teachers to sign books.

Finally, we took a spin through part of the campus to see displays and projects related to their Solomon project. Very impressive were the models of the Freeman homestead constructed of a wide variety of materials used in new and unique ways! It’s interesting to see the variety of interpretations of what I saw in my head as I wrote Solomon.

I departed Sebring Middle School feeling I’d made new friends, especially in Candis Dean, and made my way safely back home. I think I’ll never tire of meeting students and answering their questions because they always teach me something new.