SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Opening up and reading the book they helped become a reality are Madeline and Audrey.
"If I Were the Teacher" is a book about what a student would do if they were in charge before they realize they love the way their teacher runs things.
The children's book was published after a hands-on process inside the elementary school that ultimately inspired some of the next generation of writers.
"I’ve really liked writing since I was really little. I started to write stories of my own and when Mr. Tiersma gave out some tips it really helped me," said Audrey.
It’s all thanks to their teacher, Johnny Tiersma. He's the author of the book.
He said he’s been wanting to write a book for a decade.
“I wanted to write something that could be used in the classroom," said Tiersma. "But I also wanted it to be something that was funny and that people would enjoy."
Tiersma worked alongside more than 400 students before the final product came out.
"As a teacher, I talk about the revision process—giving specific feedback that you actually use and I used that for this book and it made the book so much better," said Tiersma, as he showed the survey responses.
“Mr. Tiersma sent out like a little document and he put a line from the book and then we had to rate it which was like funny, not funny, not really funny," said Audrey.
For Tiersma and the students holding the finished product was a cool feeling, but it’s also an experience students will be able to carry with them into the future.
“He showed us some writing tips because we just wrote a narrative," said Madeline.
The sequel — ‘If I Were the Principal' is already in the works.
