When Marisa Kossoy was teaching seventh grade at Saddle Brook, she asked her students to write their own books. This activity of hers was so popular that a former student of hers who ran into her many years later told her, “I still have my book!”
Years later, she set herself the same challenge, and in the process ticked off important items from her to-do list. She wrote children’s books. Now a long-time educator with experience as a teacher and principal, Kossoy one day principaland she hopes the story will help readers make good decisions while having fun.
one day principal, is known for knocking over chairs, playing pranks on teachers, and features Jackson, a troublemaker known for participating in the principal’s daily lottery. Jackson has no chance of winning, but surprise! — his name was chosen. Now this troublemaker must punish other troublemakers, unruly lower grades, and people walking down the hallway.
Kossoy, who recently moved to Teaneck, dedicated the book to her nephew Jackson. “He’s my sister’s first child. I hope he makes good choices when he goes to school. But most of all, I want him to love school.”
Finding joy in education is one of Kossoi’s defining characteristics. She wanted to be a teacher when she was six when she played a game at school with her older sister. In her junior high school, her English teacher introduced her to different literary genres, igniting her desire to become a writer. She “can’t see her own life other than her education,” she says. “There’s nothing else I want to do. I love making a difference in my children’s lives. I just can’t bring myself to go to work.”
Being an educator and a writer at the same time posed some challenges for Kossoy. “I had no idea how much work went into writing a book,” she says. “There’s a word count, figuring out how many pages it should be and how the book should be laid out.” She’s also paired with an illustrator who lives in the Philippines and speaks English as a second language. rice field. “Sometimes we wanted to meet deadlines, but we had a 12-hour time difference,” she says Kossoy. “We had to set deadlines that were good for each other.”
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She also adjusted her schedule to make way for other priorities. “I now spend a few more hours a day getting things done,” she says. “I have to go to the gym at 4:30 a.m. because I’ve got work done and I’m writing a book.” But she has no regrets. “I always try to jump at good opportunities because you never know where they’ll take you,” she says.
The opportunity to write children’s books has made her a two-time author. Her second book is due out by the end of December. Also featuring Jackson, along with several other recurring characters.
The publishing experience was an education in itself. “I didn’t expect anything to come out of her first book,” she says.
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