Jim Iddins ‘11 MALS is a two-time published author and high-school teacher whose latest book, The One That Went Away, was published in November 2023. It is a fictionalized account of his personal experiences as a senior in high school. “The One That Went Away deals with an experience that I had during my senior year of high school of being sent away to a behavior modification program.” Iddins explains, “I was there for 15 months in the mountains of Montana in one of those troubled teen programs. These programs are starting to get more notice with people like Paris Hilton coming forward to give testimony. So, this is my testimony.”
Iddins, who writes under the pen name J. Michael Iddins, came to Valpo for this master’s degree after completing his bachelor’s at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. He says, “Valpo allowed me a very flexible option for my graduate program. I was able to define my pathway — American Cultural Studies — and get it approved, and I liked that.”
While working on his degree, Jim also had a full-time job and helped out at the writing center, working under the direction of local author Joyce Hicks. For a time, he also manned the research desk at the Christopher Center. He was also able to take part in the mound culture and plains field study, which he says was a spiritual experience for himself and a few others on the trip. “Our professor hinted that sometimes one or two students on the trip will start to feel they are being led through it. For myself and a couple of other students, it was the character of Crazy Horse, the Lakota Warrior. There was something about him at each site.” He explains, “Our professor had not highlighted him in any way leading up to the trip or during. Yet, it was as if we were being led through the trip to learn more about his community and his experience.”
Not only did Iddins experience this once-in-a-lifetime study trip, but in his very first class at Valpo, he met his wife, Danielle, who now serves as the President of the Valparaiso University Alumni Association. She is the first black woman to hold this position and to sit on the Valparaiso University Board of Directors.
Jim says that his experience at Valpo allowed him to discover things about himself he never imagined. “Valpo was my first major step into lifelong learning. I became a teacher shortly after graduating, and I had never imagined myself as a teacher in a million years. I learned more than just certain subjects. I was able to wrap my mind around the tradition of constantly improving.”
Currently, Jim teaches 11th and 12th-grade U.S history, language and composition, and a class of his own design, humor and literature. He explains, “Students get to choose either the stand-up comedy pathway or the sitcom script pathway. It’s a very packed course with cut-offs, so not everyone gets to take it. We do several sections a semester now. Our high school has partnered with a local theater, Arts for Lawrence, to give the students a place to showcase their very first stand-up set. We’ve seen some really talented students come through in the past few years and I know the experience will benefit them regardless of what they go on to do. For the sitcom pathway students, they learn how to collaborate on writing an original sitcom script with a partner. It’s really exciting to see students gain inspiration from their favorite shows and then sit down to make something of their own. I always felt that high school, and education in general, is way too serious. I mean, it’s just school. Some people walk away with a lot, some with not that much, but we all have to go through it, so let’s lighten up a bit. There’s a lot of creativity in humor, and so many subjects are far more palatable when ingested through sarcasm and satire. Look at the proliferation of satire news as just one example. We need to stop being so serious all the time. It’s not good for us.”
Up next for Iddins is to keep teaching and writing. He says, “I love the on-and-off-again nature of teaching, with the intense periods of focus and instruction and then the creative free time of the summer. I typically write most of the summer, so I plan on continuing to do that. I’m averaging a book every two years right now, so I’m going to try and keep that up.”
Iddins’ first book, The One That Got Away, is a prequel to his newly published book. For more information on Jim and any of his future publications, please visit his website at jmichaeliddins.com.
