Mount Olive Teacher Combines Love of Animals, Teaching and Writing Through Her Dog, Phil

BY TOMMY HUGHES STAFF WRITER

MOUNT OLIVE - Imperfection. A noun defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary as a fault. A blemish. The state of being faulty or incomplete.

Imperfection. A word originating from late middle English from the Latin term imperfectio.

Imperfection. A description of Philip T. Basher, a 130-pound Saint Bernard-Mastif Mix. His mission? To remind readers of all ages to live their lives as the best overall versions of themselves. One written by his human, outgoing High School English Teacher Sue Steinhardt.

Always wanting to be a writer, Steinhardt original- ly envisioned writing about how to buy a Christmas tree. Simple, the would-be story would have centered around the theme of the constructed characters enjoying themselves. This vision was what led to Phil being the voice in the purchase of that tree. One of the many stories featured in his first book: Philip T. Basher is Imperfection. “Everyone’s got that animal whether owned or simply a part of their life that’s special to them. The animal is special to the human because it makes the human feel safe…we’ve used Phil to try and spread through the books.”

Growing up around animals her whole life, Steinhardt credits one thing to igniting her passion for animals – rescue.

The idea of the world’s animal population featuring so many unwanted animals is painful.

When Steinhardt and Phil visit classrooms and fundraisers, it becomes a goal to help bring awareness to different causes.

The idea of rescue and support allows the individual to move forward. It is why a portion of proceeds from each sold Imperfect Phil book and merchandise go toward various rescue endeavors, including Twenty Paws Rescue in New York, and Bully Rescue Warriors in Hamburg, New Jersey.

In Phil’s latest adventure, Imperfect Phil is Happy, he explores the idea of one exiting a space after a bad day. A theme of exiting the space as a better version of one’s self. An idea that can be shared through students on how to not take things for granted, and be able to cope with insecurities and anxieties. A lesson in having the strength not to give up.

“As a teacher, working with young people and the struggles they have…hearing some of their self-doubts…an animal is such an easy way to broach those topics with young kids. Even as a high school teacher, I’ve always pulled in children’s literature a lot, because it’s such a direct way to indirectly talk about the topics that matter.”

Upon retirement, Steinhardt looks to expand upon Phil’s story in a curriculum catered to the upbringing of kin-