By Mallorie Ann Ingram | Photography by B. Shelton Witmer
What do writing, math and literary talent all have in common? They each spell out the name Taryn Souders, and students at Viera Charter School were able to hear firsthand from this author during book club one February day.
This author’s unique journey makes her stand out, along with her sincere attitude and passion toward teaching kids to love reading and math. Souders didn’t plan on being a writer. Instead, she spent her time teaching math to middle-school students. What started off as an interest in writing, specific topic knowledge, and passion to help others learn, quickly progressed into something more.
“I was actually trying to write a poem about Moses, oddly enough, and the phrase ‘Holy Cow’ just popped in my head,” Souders said.
Souders didn’t just walk with the idea, she ran with it and began watching the pieces fall into place with her writing career for years to come. From that point on, Souders started writing books which include “Whole-y Cow! Fractions are Fun,” “How to (Almost) Ruin Your Summer,” and “Dead Possums Are Fair Game.”
She loves being able to have a hobby that’s successful and capable of flexibility to travel and most importantly, spend time with her family. In fact, she has her very own fan base right at home…her kids.
“I don’t write anything that my kids wouldn’t read,” Souders says.
From discussions on characters throughout Souders books to learning ways to make adding and subtracting fun, the VCS 6th grade book club had quite the afternoon.
