I spent my childhood in Oregon climbing trees, floating down our local canal on a balsa wood raft, and reading under a willow at home. My love for biographies began in third grade. Gravitating to the sky-blue Childhood of Famous Americans Series at the library, I loved to be transported by the spirited adventures of Ethan Allen, Clara Barton, and Thomas Edison.
As I grew older, I moved on to James Michener’s historical sagas and began writing. I was inspired to create short stories about what life must have been like for children immigrating into the United States during the nineteenth-century. On the weekends, you’d find me playing softball or skiing on Mount Hood’s snowy slopes.
I graduated from Oregon State University with a teaching degree and minors in geography and biological science. I went on to teach in a sheep-raising area of Australia, a three-room school in rural Oregon, and a private school in Washington, D.C., just blocks from the Capitol. I spent eight years writing a national early childhood newsletter and books for teachers, which involved me speaking to top educators and sharing their insights on working with young children.
When I retired from teaching, I discovered the benefits of living near Washington D.C.. I combined my love of science, history, and research by using the resources of the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Museums. I interacted with research librarians and specialists in many fields.
At the National Archives, I perused the Civil War Widows Pension Files and read soldiers’ testimonials, passages from fellow prisoners, and letters home with accompanying sketches of the battlefield—wonderful nuggets of history for a writer.
We now live in Oregon. When I’m not reading, writing, or enjoying the out-of-doors, my husband and I spend time with our grandchildren. We also visit Hawaii, where we kayak and stroll on the beach, watching for humpback whales and spinner dolphins.
Early Publications:
Preschool Perspectives- National Early Childhood Educator’s Newsletter (Gold-award winner)
Creative Parent Communication
Early Educator’s Tool Box: The Guide to Early Learning Materials and Program Application
TV Interactive Toys: The New High-Tech Threat to Children
From Library Journal:
This is a thoughtful, careful analysis of children's TV viewing and the harm caused by the violence of children's programming. Tuchscherer, an educator, is especially critical of the new trigger-equipped power toys that can be activated by children in response to television programs, or that TV signals can activate in the child's hand, creating a kind of electronic duel. Believing these toys desensitize children and have a more negative effect than violent programming alone, she offers many positive alternatives. Excellent appendixes and a good index. A wise choice for a "parent's corner" or any library in need of new material on the effect of TV violence on children.
Annette V. Janes, Hamilton P.L., Mass.