Woodlands area teacher turns the page with the publication of his latest book

THE WOODLANDS, TX – One local teacher has taken the lessons he has learned over his life and continues to put them into print to share them with the world.

Chris Ortiz, a track and girls’ basketball coach at Knox Junior High for nearly two decades and also a new member of the Team Leadership program, has recently written his latest book, We Got Next. The book, with a release date right around the corner, is the fifth in a series of books that give strong, positive motivational and moral messages to readers from kindergarten through adulthood.

“There was always a storyteller inside me as I was growing up,” he said when asked about how he decided to author a book. “One morning, I decided to make it happen and reached out to several people who could give me pointers. From then, it was just one foot in front of the other.”

Ortiz credits the coaches in his youth as primary reasons for his success. “Coaches have always had the biggest influence on me,” he said. “Athletics got me through academics.”

He admits that growing up he jumped ‘from lily pad to lily pad’ scholastically speaking before he realized that he could become a teacher himself – combining it with coaching – and positively guide the lives of those younger than he. After graduating from Sam Houston State University, he taught in Huntsville before transferring to The Woodlands.

He wrote his first book, Dear Momma, three years ago. “Stories started nagging at my soul,” he said. His debut’s premise was to present lessons a mother wants to pass on to her son, such as chivalry and a giving nature. “Each page was a lesson based on how my own mother raised me.”

Soon thereafter, Ortiz wrote his second book, Drive Slow. Drawing on his recollections of taking such trips with his own father, Ortiz wrote a tale about a young boy and his dad hitting some special landmarks in Houston.

My Block came next, a story about comparing past to present when growing up in a neighborhood. Ortiz fondly recalls simple pleasures such as riding bicycles or drinking from garden hoses. “So many of these little things have gotten lost over time, and I wanted to remind people,” he said.

For his next book, My Wish, Ortiz dipped into the well of his own career path as a coach. “The entire story is told from a coach’s perspective,” he said. “We tend to get caught up in wins and losses, but I think one of the most important lessons to learn is that there is more to life. We need to trust in the process and journey more than just the outcome. And we have to convey the importance of grit, hard work, determination, and the concept of working together, of teamwork.”

We Got Next, his final book – and it’s no coincidence that Ortiz’ titles are based in music; “Music moves me” – is told from the perspective of a teacher. “It’s all about letting parents and kids know about the value of potential. It’s not good to be trapped in a box; I myself had trouble ‘playing that game’ as a youth and it was a valuable lesson I learned,” he said.

Ortiz’ latest book is illustrated by Constance Mora. The prose is written in a very lyrical style, continuing his love of music, and the style and subject matter can easily reach audiences from kindergarten through adulthood with its universal ‘life-lesson’ appeal.

In addition to his books, Ortiz also hosts a weekly podcast, The Be Someone Podcast, named after the iconic bridge in downtown Houston. On the podcast, he interviews guests of varied interests in a conversational format. A typical jumping-off question he poses is, “What kind of student were you?” The series recently released its 113th episode. Also in keeping with his athletic history, he has been studying Brazilian jiu jitsu for the past thirteen years.

When asked what’s next for him, Ortiz smiles in anticipation. “New avenues are opening up,” he said. “I love coaching and that will never leave my soul. But on top of that I did some readings at the local library last year and will shortly be speaking at Lone Star College - Montgomery. I hope that my next avenue will be as a keynote speaker; I think there are ideas and lessons I can pass on to others; it’s a joy when wisdom can be shared.”

To learn more about Ortiz, and to order any of his books, listen to his podcast, or book a speaking engagement, visit www.coachortiz.com.