"I loved teaching. I loved working with kids who were in trouble; to entice those kids to read was wonderful," says Patricia Reilly Giff, an award-winning author, who taught reading for twenty years before writing her first novel.

In recognition of Teacher Appreciation Week, discover how Giff and fellow authors Scott Spencer, Stanley Elkin, and Terry Southern dedicated themselves to their students. Whether teaching prisoners in a maximum-security prison or creative writing students at Columbia University, these authors shared their knowledge and love of reading and writing. Even when Elkin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, he continued to teach with the help of his wife. "I was able to wheel him into the classroom on the first floor," she says.

Open Road Media is proud to honor teachers with this moving tribute. Less