For the past few Thursday nights, I've been taking a creative writing workshop at the Mercer County Public Library. The class is being taught by a man I've known most of my life, and I'm really enjoying the atmosphere of other writers.Yesterday, was the first class of a Teen Writers Workshop he is started, to encourage younger people to write creatively. He feels some kids are stifled by the rules and regulations of classroom writing and thought this class might open up a whole new world for them. My daughter was one of the participants, and I was the female "chaperone" in the class (the teacher is male).
I was amazed at the kids who showed up for the class! We had a total of 8 children - there are more signed up, but the kids are on fall break, so many are on vacation. Of the 8 kids present, 4 were homeschooled - I thought that was wonderful! One young lady was in the 9th grade and had plans to go to Harvard University and study to become a forensic anthropologist - can you say Bones?
These young people were so impressive. At first it was difficult for them to open up, but the teacher has a way of speaking on their level, and before the end of the class, each child had read out loud what they had written during class. He has told these kids that each one should have a completed story by the end of the workshop (it lasts 8 weeks), and he plans to print them in a booklet so library patrons will be able to read them.
So, I learned yesterday not all children are absorbed with video games or television. Many of these children are already writing creatively at home, and they brought many plans and ideas to this wonderful class. As an old dog who has trouble learning new tricks, I was awed by the creative talent surrounding me yesterday. Creative writing is alive and well - even in teenagers!
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1 comment:
There has to be a chaperone? Isn't that very 'Little House on the Prairie?'
Meanwhile, the class sounds very encouraging. As a creative type myself, I get all heart-warmy inside when I hear about teachers like this one who knows there are bored teens out there and wants to open a window of discovery for them.
In reference to your previous post about 'billion' amounts:
'We had no national debt. We had the largest middle class in the World. And Mom stayed home to raise the kids.'
100 years ago women couldn't vote, so I wouldn't trade that for Mom-staying-home-with-the-kids.
The middle class is a brief anomaly in the history of our planet. The wealthy are determined to seize back the pieces of the pie they've had to share for an entire century. In their view, there are only two classes: themselves and the Others. They don't really care about what the Others get up to so long as they can continue to increase their quarterly profits. And if this behavior is pointed out ("Maurice 'Hank' Greenberg, who ran AIG Inc. for 38 years until 2005, blamed successors for getting rid of controls he put in place that would have saved AIG. Richard Fuld worked for Lehman Brothers for 39 years and was CEO when it fell apart - compensation for his last eight years totaled $484.8 million." - Michael Janofsky, Bloomberg.com) - I find there is an incredible lack of finger pointing at corporations and a lot at government. People want to blame someone - the government - but not who actually committed the crime - Big Business - because ultimately people want to continue to dream that someday they will be the ones with the $484.8 million package. Until human nature changes - and it won't - we will always have snakes in the grass - grass which regular folks tended lovingly only to watch it burn.
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