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Glyncora Murphy is a mother, author, and award-winning former teacher. Her life story began in the snowy province of Alberta, Canada and continued being written in Chicago, Montreal, and ultimately New York City.
The kaleidoscope of Glyncora’s memories— happily playing outside despite blistery wintery conditions, baking goodies with her Grandma and Nana who both survived single mothering during world wars, hugging her father, a surgeon, after a long shift at the hospital, watching her uncle break wild horses on warm prairie nights, reveling in the art and energy of dynamic cities, and being consistently inspired and nurtured physically, spiritually, culturally, and academically by resilient women— have all helped shape her life’s perspective:
Murphy’s career path seems to have taken shape early on. She was constantly writing as a little girl and began working with children as a teenager: volunteering in the pediatrics ward at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital
“When I was in elementary school, I would go sit on the roof of our house and write poetry, or song lyrics, or long elaborate Choose your Own Adventure stories. Writing was very special to me. It felt like my friend.”
With regard to her initial work with hospitalized children, Murphy says, “Those children inspired me every day: modeling heroism and grit while finding moments to learn, laugh, and play. I knew that my life’s work would somehow involve working for and being an advocate for children.”
Murphy cultivated this desire to serve children at Canada’s McGill University where she earned two degrees: a BA in English in 2000 and a second BA in Early Childhood Education in 2007.
After graduating in 2007 on the Dean’s Honor List and wining the Miriam (Khaner) Marcus Award for excellence in teaching, she taught in both Montreal public and private schools and in a several teaching positions ranging from special needs to mathematics.
Murphy stands firm in her belief that, “With reciprocal respect, patience, purpose, a belief in oneself, and differentiated instruction…children can thrive.”
“I loved being with my students,” she smiles, “There is always a moment as a teacher that you look around and think, ‘Wow, look at how they’re blooming!’ I still have sweet cards and stories my students wrote that are more than a decade old; I can’t bare to throw them out!”
Murphy’s passion for writing always weaved its way into her classrooms: she wrote a variety of books to read to her own students.
“It was important for me to have literature that was inclusive and sometimes that required me to create my own,” Murphy explains, “In my experience, there is nothing more heartbreaking than a child who feels they don’t belong. Children need to feel like they have a friend in the world who understands them—much like adults.”
In 2010, Murphy moved to New York City to live with her now husband. She was soon volunteering for New York Cares and tutoring children from all five boroughs while deciding if she would return to school to become certified to teach in New York. Simultaneously, Murphy wondered if there might be another way she could use her skills and experience to benefit children.
And then one day a little boy and his toy cat illuminated the way.
She was tutoring an introverted young student who had a great apprehension for anything math related. He had brought a little stuffed kitten with him to class and was gently snuggling it. Murphy suggested that instead of simply completing the math problems without his kitty – a favorite present – the two of them could show the kitty how he did his work.
“And in that moment, he smiled, picked up his pencil, and completed all the problems. He was finally comfortable showing me what he knew, and I could help him gain a greater conceptual understanding…as long as kitty was near.” Murphy recalls.
By the end of his tutoring session, Murphy’s student was skipping out the door, and Murphy started writing, I Love You, Favorite Present.
When asked why she wanted to build a bridge between the love children feel for their favorite presents and the love parents or caregivers feel for their child, she paused, smiled, and said, “Because all those little faces that have graced my life over the years have been my favorite presents. They have made my life better.”
The result of her efforts is a beautiful book that allows an opportunity for authentic bonding between parents, caregivers, and their children.
Since her first book’s release, Murphy became a mother.
“Motherhood was a chrysalis for me: it was a shedding of the old, transforming, and emerging anew, ” she says, “The love I feel for my child has been soul expanding and has brought me a depth of purpose outside myself. She’s my garden. I’ll make sure all the elements are there for her to thrive and then hopefully she will grow into exactly who she is meant to be.”
Murphy adds, “As beautiful as motherhood is, it’s challenging to blend personal goals with familial responsibilities.”
Murphy wrote her latest book longing to reconnect with herself and her creativity after motherhood. Inspired by her daughter and her other great loves: Neruda, Dickinson, and Silverstein, she put pen to paper.
Happy Beeing Me is a story about one lost honey bee’s journey inwards to find the sweetness of her own life. She wrote the book as a love letter to anyone struggling to find the sweetness in their own lives and as a lullaby for children to embrace themselves for exactly who they are. “The journey toward self-acceptance is the journey toward becoming the protagonist of your own life story,” Murphy says, “And sometimes that can take a few drafts on a rooftop to get it just right.”
