I asked my students to write a 26 sentence story. The first sentence must begin with the letter A. The second sentence with the letter B. The third with C, and so on. I allowed them the same cheat I used when this was a Story-a-Day prompt--instead of having to start a sentence with the …
Nothing scary is happening. Not yet, anyway. Oh, scary things lurk nearby, certainly. Ebola has come to my state. War wages in far too many places to list. Terrorists plot somewhere. Something you don't expect waits right around the corner. But I'm sitting on my patio, glimpsing fireflies and listening to the whir of the …
I asked my students, "What is art?" This wasn't a question I thought we'd answer satisfactorily. I don't teach art anyway. I teach ESL. But the chapter in our reading textbook was on art. My students are not artists. Most of them have never been to an art museum or gallery. They don't know any …
My adult ESL class is reading The Great Gatsby. I teach the advanced reading class and the goal of the class is to prepare the students for university. I also assign essays related to Gatsby, articles about the American dream and the like. Students in past classes enjoyed the novel. Some students even liked the …
A student told me today that in her country if you told people you were afraid of dogs, they would think you were normal. But if you told people you were afraid of spiders, they would think you were crazy. Well, okay. I learn something every day. Have you learned anything surprising lately?
I don't remember when I started to care about women. (And I'm not going to say women's issues because it's not a self-contained status sort of thing. We're half the population----nothing special interest about that.) In grad school I complained about a professor who told the class his favorite bar was called "The Silent Woman" …
Continue reading Women Are Awesome. How about if We Stop Murdering Them?
My school is now on spring break, and I won't see my students for a week. Some of my students are from Japan. What words do you use for tragedy? Shouldn't a writer know? And what do you say to someone who is so very far away from home and family? Why should anyone though …
Today this message from a student appeared in my inbox. Am very sorry to disturb you on this beautiful wednesday .well just wanted to let you now that am really sorry , I ll be late because I overslept my dream was magic, I mean fantastic. This may well be my favorite excuse ever. And …
One of my students has decided to write a novel. He's 20 and French. His novel is a thriller with a dash of sci-fi. The premise is great, and the writing can really come together if he gives it the attention it deserves. I've never had a student want to write a novel. Or at …
My son and I walked up the concrete steps after spending about an hour walking around a nearby pond, taking pictures of action figures, and watching a woman and her sons try to get a frisbee out of a tree. The sun had come out from behind the clouds turning the air sticky. The walk …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 