It's a struggle to write even twice a week

I don't like writing.  I like "having written."

I am encouraging my students to write something each day or at least three times a week.  If we write only once a week about what happened in the past week, many incidents will be stripped away and forgotten.

Here's my first attempt.

==========

I am a high school teacher.  I see the value of putting thoughts to paper.   I teach math, but I  am also a graduate of high school.   I should be able to show young people that I survived High School and that I can:

- write words in another language

- explain different types of bonds in chemistry

- give at least two explanations for the start of World War 1

- describe how the borders of France is different from the borders of Turkey and describe the nature of the countries that are neighbors to these two different countries.

In other words, it is worth my time to invest in an essay a day to encourage my students to write something about their thinking.  The process of writing is really a process of RE-writing after we capture the initial ideas.  The act of putting ideas on paper or in an email message is a process of CAPTURING the initial ideas and then ORGANIZING how those ideas will be presented.

Yes, this could be done through a phone call, but I believe the process of talking does not use the full brain the way writing does.  People who are illiterate or people who do not practice writing everyday are generally less organized in their presentations.   The process of writing is a way of preparing for a meeting:  

a)  here are three things I want to discuss

b)  I’m going to use a story or an illustration or a photo or a play with words to make sure the listener knows about the main idea

c) I’m going to present the information in order, either "most important” goes first or I save the "most important" for the last item.

What words will I make bold or make italic?

How do I spell Catherine?  Katherine?  or does she use a nickname?

I am going to start posting my email messages to my GED student in the hope that he will decide to invest himself and set aside the same time every day or create small “times for writing” throughout the day.  He has a mobile phone so he can take notes and send himself short messages and then assemble his "Thoughts for that day.”

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201311/#/88

Today’s topic is about the process of learning to follow through.  I was hit very hard when I read the story “Everyday Hero” 

Before I read the story, I used to ignore the fact that many of my students promised to do something and then “forgot” or ignored their promises.  After reading the story

I told my students that I wanted to support them in achieving what they said that they wanted to do.  Either they can restate or adjust their objectives or I’m giving them time during class to follow through on their commitments.  But I decided after reading the “HERO” story that I should not ignore or overlook the promises that my students make to me.   I should not be “nice” or “understanding.”  I should reflect to them the expectations that were created in me when they said, “I will do that work.”

I highly recommend this article, particularly the paragraphs that I’m going to quote now.

“He didn’t not show up. He didn’t not pay his bills.” Sheen spent a full hour trying to recall a single promise that his father had failed to keep. Coming up empty, he thought, If you can’t think of a single thing, that’s the lesson your dad was trying to teach you.
That night, Sheen went online. With a few clicks, a bit of typing, and a photo of himself and his father, he launched Because I Said I Would as an open Facebook group. The original post asked friends and family, who’d been offering condolences, to do something in memory of his dad: “Take a little promise in your life and keep it.”

I know of people who are very good readers, who read a lot, but who have not figured out how to share something from their reading.  I consider this to be like “getting pregnant.”  I take in information from books and articles and then, after about five days, I have to “give birth” to something, I have to share it.  Perhaps it is as simple as writing a letter to a friend (or an email message), which turns into a blog post or a post on Facebook.  But I want to leave an impression.  That’s why I like the blog post or a book review as a way to describe what is happening in my brain.

The process of writing is useful for capturing thoughts.   Then those thoughts can be analyzed.  I can laugh at my fears, self-doubts and the thoughts that come from those doubts.  

My theme today is “I am the author of my life.”  

We tend to move toward whatever we dwell upon.  So let’s dwell well.

Jeraldine Saunders