Discussion of Writing at Connolly Jr. High School
With grandson Jared following the session in his class.
On Thursday, December 13, I had the privilege of making a presentation on writing and publishing at the Connolly Junior High in Tempe, AZ. I spoke to two different seventh grade writing classes using a presentation on the setting, cultural background, and story line of The Wham Curse to demonstrate how a story is developed. Following the presentation I answered questions from the students.
It was a rewarding experience for me being able to interact with these bright young people and express to them my own love for the written word. I told them that if they want to be writers they should become dedicated readers, that they will benefit from experiencing the style and craft of great writers from all ages and many different genres. I paraphrased the quote by Mark Twain that every person has a story to tell, and that they should each plan to write the story of themselves; that it will have value to them and to their posterity
I was also happy to be able to acquaint many of the children, who have not experienced Arizona outside of the Phoenix Metro area, with some of the amazing history, geography, ecology, and culture of the state they live in. Many have never experienced living in a small town or visiting rural and wild areas of the Southwest. I was surprised and pleased that in both classes there were some Apache children who immediately identified the Apache Ga'an or Crown Dancers.
Ms. Karen DeMarco, Seventh Grade Language Arts Teacher/Year Book Advisor, is an energetic and dedicated teacher who obviously has great respect and fondness for her students. It was nice to meet and visit with her. She invited me to speak to her classes after Jared had told her about my book and provided his mother's copy for her to read. I truly appreciated having this experience and have provided some copies of the book to the Connolly Library for use by the students.
It was a rewarding experience for me being able to interact with these bright young people and express to them my own love for the written word. I told them that if they want to be writers they should become dedicated readers, that they will benefit from experiencing the style and craft of great writers from all ages and many different genres. I paraphrased the quote by Mark Twain that every person has a story to tell, and that they should each plan to write the story of themselves; that it will have value to them and to their posterity
I was also happy to be able to acquaint many of the children, who have not experienced Arizona outside of the Phoenix Metro area, with some of the amazing history, geography, ecology, and culture of the state they live in. Many have never experienced living in a small town or visiting rural and wild areas of the Southwest. I was surprised and pleased that in both classes there were some Apache children who immediately identified the Apache Ga'an or Crown Dancers.
Ms. Karen DeMarco, Seventh Grade Language Arts Teacher/Year Book Advisor, is an energetic and dedicated teacher who obviously has great respect and fondness for her students. It was nice to meet and visit with her. She invited me to speak to her classes after Jared had told her about my book and provided his mother's copy for her to read. I truly appreciated having this experience and have provided some copies of the book to the Connolly Library for use by the students.
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