Today we’d like to introduce you to Pat Gordon.
Hi Pat, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My story begins with growing up in the 1970s in Brooklyn, New York. My small family and I lived in the Crown Heights section which housed Afro-Caribbean people as well as a significant Orthodox Jewish community. It was normal for me to see my neighbors walking quietly on the Sabbath, as well as to hear reggae and calypso in the streets. Being able to buy authentic roti and a freshly baked bagel on the same block was pretty amazing too.
My mother taught my younger brother and me to read before we started kindergarten. I mean to seriously read. We cut our teeth on Dr. Seuss and the King James version of the Bible. I faintly recall my kindergarten teacher calling in other teachers on the floor to hear me read. Whatever she gave me to read that day was much simpler than the “thees and the thous” I had already been used to.
It’s accurate to say that my love for the written word and the realization that I could also create my own written words, began before I went to school – which is when it should start. I became an English teacher with the desire to inspire other young minds toward the same passion I had for reading and writing. And I served several schools between New York City and later, Long Island, New York, where I lived at the time.
Today as a South Florida resident, that love is not utilized in the traditional classroom setting, but within the new challenges and strengths of online teaching. I find fulfillment in conducting targeted tutorial sessions that empower students to be more capable in the classroom, bringing everything with me from the first moment I held a book, to my recent status as a children’s author and editor.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Of course, the road wasn’t smooth, lol. What was easy was that I knew I always wanted a career that involved words and that I always wanted to be part of some learning process, even if I wasn’t in a classroom. When I was a university administrator at Brooklyn’s Long Island University in Academic Reinforcement, I guided students in peer tutoring in a variety of undergraduate subjects. Because our student body reflected most of the globe, I was enriched by cultural approaches to learning I previously had no idea about.
But when that season ended, I didn’t know how my career should look. I also became a wife and inherited a blended family which with its ups and downs, left minimal time for me to explore what should be next. It took years after the dust of the situation settled, that I could get reacquainted with my desire to be creative. Of course, the global experiences of 2020-2021 gave us all time to re-evaluate how we’d spent our time, and how we needed to be accountable to it and ourselves going forward.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My business is called the WORD SANCTUARY. That’s largely my sentiment since words have always been a safe space for me. Reading and writing have been as natural to me as breathing. And while I can express that, I acknowledge that is not the experience for many others. From the student who struggles with releasing the wonderful ideas in his head, to the adult who needs a critical document written, I want the WORD SANCTUARY to be the business they can turn to for help.
I provide English Language Arts tutoring to students and English conversation development to adults who may be new to the language. I offer editorial services for important documents and in the past year have had the honor of editing non-fiction manuscripts for publication. I’m thrilled that new authors have sought me out to get their creative babies’ books ready!
Those who seek out the WORD SANCTUARY will find an attentive listener who ensures their writing and learning needs are addressed. Clients aren’t interacting with an “expert” when they work with me, but with someone who values their input and cooperation.
Our partnership must equally reflect who they are, as well as my business model. That way everyone’s goals are met. I’m proud that I released my first self-published children’s short fiction, Sage Finds Summer in 2021 and that its sequel, a full-length middle-grade novel is ready for submission to potential publishers.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
One of my favorite memories is sitting on my Brooklyn fire escape in the summer with a book and a snack. It was busy out there, but I easily was lost in my story. I also cherish memories of the amazing faith community I had in the church I grew up in.
My friends, many of whom remain in my life today, and I took part in holiday dramatic and musical presentations, learning to love God and to love others. Almost all of us chose vocations of service. We’ve often joked how at least one of us should have cared more about money and chosen a lucrative career.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mywordsanctuary.net
- Instagram:patgordon@mywordsanctuarypg
