Have you ever taught your parents or other adults how to do something?
Most likely, you’ve helped them learn how to work their mobile devices because you find it easier to deal with the features of technology than they do.
In a University of Maine study, researchers found that when laptops were introduced into the classroom,
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This writing prompt is all about eating, so it makes sense to have a menu of choices for you to write about.
Choose one item from the menu below to write about. Here goes:
Read MoreKing David. Slayer of giants. Hero to many. Kingdom builder. Writer of heartfelt psalms. Follower after God.
Adulterer. Schemer. Murderer.
What gives?
How could someone be so good and so bad?
This writing prompt is about creating believable characters, those that are a realistic mix of positive and negative traits.
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Do you remember those organized desks and huge blackboards from your school days? And do you feel inadequate that you do your school at a kitchen table?
Did you use a large, up-to-date microscope in your old biology class but now feel scientifically deficient because you have a child’s version for your little school?
Do you imagine professionals teaching daily in your local school—and agonize over the educational experience you are giving your children?
I homeschooled for eighteen years, and there was not one year in which I felt I was totally doing it “right.” I always felt inadequate. On some level I always wondered if my kids could have gotten a better education somewhere else.
With logic, I can look back and assure myself that I have given my three children a very good education and a safe and spiritual environment. I was not a slacker: All of my students scored higher than the national average on their SAT scores. My brain pats me on the back and assures me that I ran a good race, but my heart still stumbles with thoughts of inadequacy and failure.
And I did fail in some things. The following are a few areas in which I failed.
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Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Kraken. Yeti. Extraterrestrials (ETs). The Loch Ness Monster.
Do they exist?
Many photos have been taken of these supposed monsters, and occasional sightings only add to the excitement.
Click here to see a satellite image of Loch Ness in Scotland taken by Apple Maps. Some people believe they see an image of the Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie, in it, including her flippers. Nessie is believed by some to be a plesiosaur, a long-necked dinosaur that lives in water.
What do you think? Is it she? Could it be?
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As a writer, it is important to define your terms. In fact, it’s one of your jobs. That way, all readers are on the same page with you and know what you are talking about. Why do you think Paul took up so much space in I Corinthians to define the word “love”?
“Tolerance” is a word that will need a definition when you talk to someone about it. Even the word “insane”
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My great-grandmother marked the day in her journal when she received her first icebox. What was she using for refrigeration before then?
One acquaintance traveled the world with the army during the Vietnam years and isn’t even allowed to tell me what he did, though he likes to tell me about the strange food he ate on those trips.
But I’m not the only one who knows interesting folks.
People in your family, your church, and your neighborhood have led remarkable lives as well. They’ve fought in wars and been in accidents. They’ve experienced disasters, invented things, started their own businesses, overcome debilitating abuse or sickness, beat the odds, seen the world, or eaten raw squid.
These people want to tell their stories to someone who will listen. And your children, in interviewing these people, will come away with a new perspective on history and life. This type of writing activity is well worth the effort.
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Dear Listening Ear,
My girlfriend and I were shopping yesterday, and I saw her steal a necklace from the store. Today she gave the necklace to another friend as a birthday present. Should I tell someone about my friend stealing? Should I tell the girl who has the necklace that it’s stolen?
Signed,
Confused in Corning
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Are your efforts to have a successful writing class this year flagging?
No matter where you are in your write-o-meter, take advantage of these seven proven, powerful ways to revitalize your writing class.
Read MoreAudio Science. Fifi. Coco. Hopper. Apple.
What do these words have in common?
They are names that celebrities have given their children.
Celebrities aren’t the only ones giving their children weird or unusual names. There are a lot of strange names out there: Jedi, Google, and
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