Burnin' Biography--Sharon M. Draper
Childhood:
Sharon Mills was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952 to Victor and Catherine Mills. She was a young bookworm who "inhaled books and knowledge." Her parents taught all of their children to work hard so they could achieve anything they set their minds to. Even in elementary school, Sharon knew she wanted to be a teacher. Her fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Kathadaza Mann, was her inspiration. In fact, Mrs. Mann taught Black History before it was an acceptable part of the curriculum. "She was one of the first teachers," Draper recalled, "who taught me to read analytically, to think critically, and to speak fearlessly." Sharon graduated high school with a National Merit scholar award!
Teaching Career:
Sharon graduated from Pepperdine University (located in California) in 1971 with an English degree. She returned to Miami University of Ohio to receive her Master’s degree, and graduated in 1974. There, she also met her husband, Larry Draper, and they have 4 children.
Mrs. Draper was a no-nonsense teacher in the Cincinnati school district. "I demand the best from them, and they expect the best from me." In fact, her standards for writing were so high, students made one particular paper infamous: “As part of their final grade, seniors at Walnut Hills High School were asked to produce a well-researched term paper. Draper's expectations were so high that the task was eventually dubbed ‘The Draper Paper.’ T-shirts were even designed and given only to those students who successfully met the challenge. Their shirts proudly boasted: ‘I Survived the Draper Paper.’"
In 1997, Draper was given the award of Ohio Teacher of the Year, as well as the U.S. Teacher of the Year, given by President Clinton himself! During his speech, Clinton said "For 27 years she has inspired students with her passion for literature and life. Sharon Draper is more than a credit to her profession, she is a true blessing to the children she has taught."
For the following year Draper became a teaching ambassador, doing seminars across the country to teach people about quality learning and quality teaching. During this time, she also became part of the National Board for Teaching Standards.
Writing Career:
In 1990, Sharon was encouraged by a student to submit a short story to Ebony magazine's annual Gertrude Johnson Williams Literary Competition. She won. All of the sudden, Sharon Draper was in the spotlight and even received many phone calls from famous authors! She decided to try longer works of writing. Being the wonderful teacher she was, she knew “I wanted to write something that young people could read that would be contemporary and exciting. I couldn't find anything they really liked to read, so I started writing for them myself." Her first story, Tears of a Tiger, was not as accepted by editors as her short story was. It was rejected by 24 publishers before finally being accepted. Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs was soon written, and both novels appeared on shelves the same day in 1994. Tears of a Tiger soon won the 1995 American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, as well as the Coretta Scott King Genesis Award.
Many of Draper’s stories are about troubling issues. Forged by Fire is about in home violence. Battle for Jericho is about hazing. Her books are often met with confrontation about the controversy of the subject matter. It doesn’t stop her from writing, however! It also doesn’t stop her from winning many more awards for her writing.
What she's doing now:
By 2005, Sharon Draper had retired from teaching to concentrate on her writing…but she still wanted to be a part of education. She currently serves on the Board of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, as well as continuing school visits and seminars on quality teaching.
Some of Sharon M. Draper's works:
Tears of a Tiger (Simon and Schuster, 1994)
Forged by Fire (Simon and Schuster, 1997)
Darkness Before Dawn (Simon and Schuster, 2001)
Romiette and Julio (Simon and Schuster, 1999)
Double Dutch (Simon and Schuster, 2002)
The Battle of Jericho (Simon and Schuster, 2003)
Copper Sun (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
November Blues (Simon and Schuster, 2007)
Just Another Hero (Simon and Schuster, 2009)
Out of my Mind (Simon and Schuster, 2010)
Fire from the Rock (Dutton, 2007)
We Beat the Street (Dutton, 2005)
Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs: The Buried Bones Mystery (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Ziggy #2: Lost in the Tunnel of Time (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Ziggy #3: Shadows of Caesar's Creek (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Ziggy #4: The Space Mission Adventure (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Ziggy #5: The Backyard Zoo Adventure (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Ziggy #6: Stars and Sparks on Stage (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Sassy #1: Little Sister is Not my Name (Scholastic, 2009)
Sassy #2: The Birthday Storm (Scholastic, 2009)
Sassy #3: The Silver Secret (Scholastic, 2010)
Sassy #4: The Dazzle Disaster Dinner Party (Scholastic, 2010)
Teaching from the Heart (Heinemann, 1999)
Not Quite Burned Out, But Crispy around the Edges (Heinemann, 2001)
And many others...
Sharon Mills was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952 to Victor and Catherine Mills. She was a young bookworm who "inhaled books and knowledge." Her parents taught all of their children to work hard so they could achieve anything they set their minds to. Even in elementary school, Sharon knew she wanted to be a teacher. Her fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Kathadaza Mann, was her inspiration. In fact, Mrs. Mann taught Black History before it was an acceptable part of the curriculum. "She was one of the first teachers," Draper recalled, "who taught me to read analytically, to think critically, and to speak fearlessly." Sharon graduated high school with a National Merit scholar award!
Teaching Career:
Sharon graduated from Pepperdine University (located in California) in 1971 with an English degree. She returned to Miami University of Ohio to receive her Master’s degree, and graduated in 1974. There, she also met her husband, Larry Draper, and they have 4 children.
Mrs. Draper was a no-nonsense teacher in the Cincinnati school district. "I demand the best from them, and they expect the best from me." In fact, her standards for writing were so high, students made one particular paper infamous: “As part of their final grade, seniors at Walnut Hills High School were asked to produce a well-researched term paper. Draper's expectations were so high that the task was eventually dubbed ‘The Draper Paper.’ T-shirts were even designed and given only to those students who successfully met the challenge. Their shirts proudly boasted: ‘I Survived the Draper Paper.’"
In 1997, Draper was given the award of Ohio Teacher of the Year, as well as the U.S. Teacher of the Year, given by President Clinton himself! During his speech, Clinton said "For 27 years she has inspired students with her passion for literature and life. Sharon Draper is more than a credit to her profession, she is a true blessing to the children she has taught."
For the following year Draper became a teaching ambassador, doing seminars across the country to teach people about quality learning and quality teaching. During this time, she also became part of the National Board for Teaching Standards.
Writing Career:
In 1990, Sharon was encouraged by a student to submit a short story to Ebony magazine's annual Gertrude Johnson Williams Literary Competition. She won. All of the sudden, Sharon Draper was in the spotlight and even received many phone calls from famous authors! She decided to try longer works of writing. Being the wonderful teacher she was, she knew “I wanted to write something that young people could read that would be contemporary and exciting. I couldn't find anything they really liked to read, so I started writing for them myself." Her first story, Tears of a Tiger, was not as accepted by editors as her short story was. It was rejected by 24 publishers before finally being accepted. Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs was soon written, and both novels appeared on shelves the same day in 1994. Tears of a Tiger soon won the 1995 American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, as well as the Coretta Scott King Genesis Award.
Many of Draper’s stories are about troubling issues. Forged by Fire is about in home violence. Battle for Jericho is about hazing. Her books are often met with confrontation about the controversy of the subject matter. It doesn’t stop her from writing, however! It also doesn’t stop her from winning many more awards for her writing.
What she's doing now:
By 2005, Sharon Draper had retired from teaching to concentrate on her writing…but she still wanted to be a part of education. She currently serves on the Board of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, as well as continuing school visits and seminars on quality teaching.
Some of Sharon M. Draper's works:
Tears of a Tiger (Simon and Schuster, 1994)
Forged by Fire (Simon and Schuster, 1997)
Darkness Before Dawn (Simon and Schuster, 2001)
Romiette and Julio (Simon and Schuster, 1999)
Double Dutch (Simon and Schuster, 2002)
The Battle of Jericho (Simon and Schuster, 2003)
Copper Sun (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
November Blues (Simon and Schuster, 2007)
Just Another Hero (Simon and Schuster, 2009)
Out of my Mind (Simon and Schuster, 2010)
Fire from the Rock (Dutton, 2007)
We Beat the Street (Dutton, 2005)
Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs: The Buried Bones Mystery (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Ziggy #2: Lost in the Tunnel of Time (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Ziggy #3: Shadows of Caesar's Creek (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Ziggy #4: The Space Mission Adventure (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Ziggy #5: The Backyard Zoo Adventure (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Ziggy #6: Stars and Sparks on Stage (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
Sassy #1: Little Sister is Not my Name (Scholastic, 2009)
Sassy #2: The Birthday Storm (Scholastic, 2009)
Sassy #3: The Silver Secret (Scholastic, 2010)
Sassy #4: The Dazzle Disaster Dinner Party (Scholastic, 2010)
Teaching from the Heart (Heinemann, 1999)
Not Quite Burned Out, But Crispy around the Edges (Heinemann, 2001)
And many others...