REMEMBERING THE OLD SCHOOL

REMEMBERING THE OLD SCHOOL

by Neva Bodin

Recently, as part of research for a freelance newspaper article I am writing, I visited a Montessori pre-school. It took me on a memory journey.

The school I visited is for three to five year olds. The atmosphere was calm, quiet, and respectful. Students chose and worked on projects independently. They were learning life skills that encompassed physical, mental, and social. I was impressed. The guide said the young learn from the older, and the older gain self-esteem when they help and model for the younger students.

But another reel was playing in my head as I tried to record what I was seeing so I could write about it. The reel was a decades old re-play of country school.

I grew up in a rural farming community and attended a one-room school for six years. They were years of learning respect, social skills, and academic proficiency. We usually had 5-8 grades with a varying number of students. One teacher had charge of the whole group—to teach, to keep safe, to supervise work and play. There was no phone, usually no car, and no teacher’s aide present. The teacher boarded at our house three of those years; my dad took us both to school in the morning and returned at 4 p.m. We never felt insecure, isolated, or unsafe. At least I didn’t, now I wonder about the teacher!

Isn’t it hard to imagine being without the cell phone? I feel insecure now driving anywhere without it.

But the freedom and fun: At recess we played ball, or kick-can-run, or ante over the old horse barn in the schoolyard. I don’t remember the rules to “kick the can” anymore, but for the latter, when two teams were formed, each chose a side of the horse barn and threw the ball over the roof to each other, shouting “Ante over!” One team could sneak around and tag someone on the other team if one of them caught the ball.

The older kids put their arms around the first and second graders to help them bat the softball if needbe. They even ran the bases for them sometimes! We teased, played together and looked out for each other. We were a family.

A few of those years we had a city child go to our school, occasionally because they had social problems or behavior problems in the town school. They could benefit from a smaller group, a diverse age group, and the country school philosophy. All became part of our country family and we enjoyed getting to know them. I remember one boy, who joined third grade with me and my best friend and only other classmate, a neighbor boy. The new boy was partially deaf and wore hearing aids with wires leading to good sized batteries that he had to keep in the front pockets of his bib overalls.  Naturally his need to wear something that could hold his battery pack and his hearing difficulty marked him as different. The year he attended our school, he confided, was the first time he had made a friend, and he named my classmate as his first friend.

Now my husband’s memories of country school are good, but mixed with getting caught smoking in the outhouse when the teacher opened the door with a pail of water in her hand to “put out the fire,” and seeing the paddle with the holes in it (to sting a little more) hanging on the schoolroom wall.

No paddle in the recent school I visited, but similarities evoked strong memories. (My fourth grade picture–I’m the kid in the v-shaped stripes shirt!)

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Do you like your pen? by Barb Schlichting

This blog by Barb Schlichting

I know it sounds like a dumb question, doesn’t it? Do you like pens that allow you to zip down all your thoughts? There’s certain brands that I avoid because the ball point doesn’t roll fast enough or the ink doesn’t come out fast, like it should. The writing itself doesn’t keep up with what I’m thinking. It’s frustrating.

My advice is to find a brand of pen that you like and stick with it. Always keep one handy. The last time that I was at a workshop, my trusted pen had disappeared and I had to borrow one. It was slow, and my arm and head hurt by the end of the session.

Here’s a brief history about the invention of the Fountain Pen.

The same holds true for pencils. I began writing with them because I felt closer to the words and my thoughts. If this is what you use, have several sharpened and ready before beginning.

The main purpose is to write. Keep writing and don’t stop until you’re done. Then start all over again until your writing is right.

The images are from free photo stock. Thanks!

What is your favorite pen like? Do you have a favorite pen you take with you and one you keep at home? Do you write better with a pen or a pencil?

I write the First Ladies Mystery Series. My blog is all about historical data and the White House. Here’s my link: http://bschlichting.blogspot.com

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Finding Your Character

A post by Doris McCraw

Actors have ways of finding their character when preparing for a performance.  As an acting coach it is my job to help them learn the easiest way for them to access that information. Many of the tips and tricks used by the actor translate to writing also.

Let’s start with how you find your character.  Some actors create by finding what the psychological make up of the character they are to play.  What makes them tick? How do they think and react to those around them? How does the character sound, is their voice low or high, soft or strident?  Many times clues are found in the script itself.

Other actors find their character from the way they perceive how the characters body moves.  Is it stiff or fluid in movement?  Do they dress conservatively or bohemian? Do they march when they walk or glide as if on a cloud? What kind of shoes to they wear?

Once the actor makes their choices it is on to delivering the lines. Many new students believe that you just say the lines as written with emotion and clarity.  They don’t understand the depth that they are capable of bringing to those lines.

If you want to be believed it is necessary to understand what has happened before even saying your first line. If it is the first line in the script why are you saying what you are saying?  What is the subtext? What is your biography?  The audience may never or need to know, but it will inform your whole performance.

Now you may ask yourself how does any of this relate to my writing? Take a look at some of the questions actors  ask themselves when preparing for a performance. If in your writing you answer those questions you may find that your characters and story take on a life of their own.  The stories become more than just lines and settings, they become flesh and blood.  If they do that for you, imagine what they will do for your readers.

If you would like to study more about the actors process the following books are a good read.

“The Technique of Acting” by Stella Adler

“Acting on Film” by Michael Caine

“The Power of the Actor” by Ivana Chubbuck

“Getting Into Character” by Brandilyn Collins

For the Monday – Friday haiku: http://fivesevenfivepage.blogpspot.com

A Degree . . . or a Car? Lincoln and Education

Blog post by Alethea Williams

As a young man, Abraham Lincoln described himself as uneducated and penniless.  Growing up on the frontiers of Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, Lincoln was largely self-taught.  From such humble beginnings, Abe Lincoln rose to become America’s visionary President.

One hundred and fifty years ago, in addition to signing a bill authorizing the transcontinental railroad and the homestead bill, in 1862 President Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, the land grant college bill.  To fund the new educational institutions, a state was awarded 30,000 acres of federal land for each member of Congress it had according to the 1860 census.

Avg. $30,000

In the intervening years, college has become big business.  According to Wikipedia, there are 106 land grant institutions of higher education today.  Time Magazine says in total there are 4,400 degree-granting institutions in the U.S.  Any news or financial source announces in chilling headlines the rising cost of college.  President Lincoln might have joined parents and students in asking whether the cost of a degree will pay off.

Avg. $28,400

But a President as pragmatic as Lincoln might also ask if all the whining in this country about going into debt for a college degree isn’t a tad embarrassingly hypocritical.  The figure touted, $30,000, is almost exactly equal to the cost of a new car.  I don’t see too many magazines or news websites crying about Americans financing a car for seven years, especially not when they’re featuring stories and pictures of the shiniest, newest models.

If the question is purely about knowledge versus a degree, President Lincoln might also have applauded the appearance of new, free, online courses as one means of self-education.   As Amanda Ripley concludes in “College is Dead.  Long Live College,” education is not about a certificate on the wall, it’s about learning!

If you would like to read my historical novel Willow Vale, it is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Jargon Media. It was written for adults but its latest review suggests it is also suitable for older YA audiences.

I blog on Actually Alethea about writing, writers, and Wyoming history.  You can follow me on Twitter @actuallyalethea, or visit Alethea Williams, author on Facebook. Thank you!