I told you about the “writing chain” I’ve been using to help focus my many energies. Now that the month is over, I can look at my calender and have a visual reminder of the days I worked. I can also see the days I didn’t (yes, there were some), and see if there are patterns (yes, there are some). One important thi
ng I noticed doing this: I am more productive and more focused on the project on which I’m working. Here, take a look:
Archive for Robert Young
Farewell February!
History Is Alive!
Where I come from, teaching American history is alive. Despite the overwhelming emphasis on reading, writing, and math, there are many fine teachers engaging their students in the study of history.
I’ve had the great fortune to work with some of those teachers for the past nine years in a Teaching American History grant program. As director of the program, it has been energizing and inspiring to witness teachers who are committed to helping students learn history through critical thinking.
Not only that, our teachers have created history education products to help museums engage students. The products have taken many forms, including walking tours, traveling trunks filled with artifacts, reproductions of a pioneer cabin and Native American plank house, and a traveling children’s museum. The photo above shows two of our teachers (on right) at a ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the opening to a kid-friendly museum annex at the Cottage Grove (OR) History Museum.
Keeping Track
Do you ever feel like you’re doing everything BUT writing? You know, researching, reading, sending queries, answering mail, following writing blogs? It’s easy to have writing time slip away, especially if you have a full-time job doing something else. And, since those activities are writing-related, it’s easy to justify doing them. But, what about the pencil to the paper / fingers to the keyboard writing that you must do if you’re going to call yourself a writer?
I read about this idea about making your writing efforts transparent. Jerry Seinfeld uses it, not that that necessarily makes it a “stairway to success.” The idea is simple: find a calender, set a daily writing goal in minutes/hours/seconds even. Then, if you writing for at least that amount of time, you mark the square with a big X. I’m starting modestly, an hour a day, and I’m using a bright green marker.
What you try to do is to create a chain of connected Xs. I’ve been trying this since February began and, although I haven’t been perfect, I know I’m doing more writing than I did before. I like the visual aspect, and I don’t like “breaking the chain.”
Give it a try! When the month’s over I’ll post a picture of my green chain. Oh no, public viewing. Pressure!
The Power of Writing
150 years ago today, Abraham Lincoln met Grace Bedell. If you want evidence of the power of writing, check out this story.
http://housedivided.dickinson.edu/sites/blogdivided/2011/02/16/lincoln-meets-grace-bedell/
Happy birthday, A.C.!
February 15. This is the birthday of Alfred Carlton (A.C.) Gilbert, who would turn 117 if he were alive. It is not easy summing up a person’s life, much less someone as energetic and creative as A.C. Sure, he helped transform the U.S. toy industry by inventing the Erector Set and developing other educational toys for kids during the first half of the 20th century. But, he was also an elite athlete, an accomplished magician, an employer who cared the people he hired, a traveler, and a devoted family man.
What stands out the most for me from all the research I did to write my Magic of A.C. Gilbert book was his dedication to fun. “I have never worked at anything to make money,” A.C. once said, “unless it was fun, too.” Maybe that’s why he chose to create and sell toys instead of working as a doctor, what he had been trained to do.
I love the “fun philosophy” and gravitate to jobs, activities, and pastimes I find fun. And, when I’m reading, writing, or otherwise working at something that is not enjoyable, I try to find the fun or add some fun to it. That usually works.
Long live the memory of A.C. Gilbert!
Places
Traveled to Portland (OR) this weekend and had the pleasure of a personal tour of the downtown area. Every place has a story – really, many stories – that engage and inspire me.
In 1843, William Overton saw this area, which had once been heavily inhabited by Chinook Indians until diseases brought by settlers pretty much decimated them. Overton saw a great opportunity to build a city at this clearing along the banks of the Willamette River, so he traveled to Oregon City to file a claim for the land. The land was free, but there was a filing fee of twenty-five cents. Having not a cent to his name, Overton asked his friend, Asa Lovejoy, for the money. Lovejoy gave him the money and the two split the 640 acres.
Lovejoy later sold his part to William Pettygrove. When Pettygrew and Lovejoy were ready to name their city, a problem arose. They couldn’t agree on a name. Pettygrew wanted to name the city after his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. Lovejoy wanted to name it after his hometown of Portland, Maine. Neither man would give in, so they agreed to flip a coin – best out of three – to decide. After three flips of a penny, the winner was…well, you already know that!
The penny that the men flipped to determine the name of Portland is on display in the entrance of the Oregon Historical Museum in Portland.
Greetings!
Greetings, and good cheer to all. New year, new website, and new book. What could be better?
I have had a website and blog for several years now, but I thought it was time to update and upgrade. Thanks to tech genius Cameron Yee, it’s done now so here we are. I wanted a site that was simple, clean, and clear. Check. I wanted a blog that could be categorized for various readers: kids, teachers, and writers. Check, check, check. That way, you can click those categories and focus in on the area that most pertains to you. Some posts will be appropriate for more than one category, so there may be some overlap.
My plan is to blog about writing and the teaching of writing. I’ll add photos as well as links to interesting sites I’ve found. I’d also like to post questions from time to time, and get readers of all ages involved.
It’s my hope that you will become active participants in this blog. It’s easy. All you have to do is leave a comment after a post. Ask a question, share your experience, expertise, or opinion.
Looking forward to sharing with you.
