Mr. Elephant: Everyone's Favorite Pachyderm Professor

People often ask how I got into writing children's books. The truth is that it hadn't been a dream I had when I was younger. But as is with so many of our life's decisions we are secretly guided by little moments and interests along the way.

I loved my students. I loved my school. I loved the subjects I taught. And I was burned out anyway.

That's the part people don't talk about. Burnout doesn't only happen to teachers who have stopped caring. It can find the ones who care the most. I remember thinking: if I feel this way, with everything I love right in front of me, other teachers must feel it too.

They just aren't saying it out loud.

That thought is where The Elephant in the Classroom began.

A poster on the wall

I had a Charlie Brown poster hanging in my classroom. One day I looked at it and thought about why that character works. Charlie Brown keeps losing, keeps trying, and keeps getting back up. Generations of kids have seen themselves in him.

So where was that character for teachers? Someone who could say the hard things for us, so we could recognize ourselves and feel a little less alone. I decided to make one.

Why an elephant?

The name came first. Teacher burnout was the elephant in the room, so Mr. Elephant became the elephant in the classroom. He's a teacher who helps his colleagues hold on to their passion for the work.

Once I had him, the rest of the staff room filled in quickly. I turned to other animal idioms, each one tied to something teachers face:

• Mr. Camel: the straw that broke the camel's back, for the teacher carrying one task too many.

• Mr. Fish: a fish out of water, for the teacher who feels out of place.

• Mrs. Dog: you can't teach an old dog new tricks, for the teacher asked to change one more time.

Every teacher has been one of these characters at some point. Most of us have been all of them.

The Surprising Truth!

I wrote the first draft in one week. That surprises people, but it's the biggest lesson I took from the whole project.

The trick is to get it out and down on paper first. Don't stop to polish. Once the story exists, you can go back and layer in extra meaning, fine-tune the lines, and foreshadow what's coming. You can't revise a blank page. I wish I could say I do that every time but I do not. Just ask my wife who is wondering why I am outlining it again!

If you're a teacher with a story rattling around in your head, that's my advice. Write the messy version first.

Self-publishing (because I didn't know any better)

I self-published the book, mostly because I didn't know any better. I was a classroom teacher, not someone who knew how publishing worked.

It turned out to be a good experience. I had full control over the final product, from the words to the way it looked. I also had help. David Miles laid out the book and guided me through the self-publishing process. I didn't know it then, but that partnership would matter a lot later.

How it landed

Teachers and my former students told me they found the book sweet and heartwarming. That meant a lot, but what I hoped for went a little deeper.

I hoped teachers felt seen. I hoped they'd spot themselves in Mr. Camel on a heavy week or in Mr. Fish on a day they felt out of place. And I hoped the characters would give them an example of how to approach their own time in the classroom.

Where Mr. Elephant led

After the book came out, David came to me with an idea for a series that would teach good lessons and give boys strong role models. That became The Good Guys Agency, and later came Game Changers.

The audiences are different, but the purpose is the same. Every book I've written since carries on what Mr. Elephant started. I want to give readers a character who helps them see themselves and find a way forward.

It all goes back to one burned-out teacher, a Charlie Brown poster, and a week of writing. If you're feeling the weight right now, you're not the only one. Sometimes naming the elephant is the first step.