The Grandma Jar

Question for today: "What jobs have you had?" I start every semester explaining to my students that I've taught Writing at BYU for for 11 1/2 years. Working at BYU is the second best job in the world. The best job in the world is the one I had before that (and technically still have)--I was and am a mom. Being a mom requires a complex skill set. A mom is a chef, a chauffeur, a nurse, a teacher, a cheerleader, a psychologist, a philanthropist, a personal trainer--you get the picture. Nurse: Several years ago our family vacationed at Disneyland. In the middle of the night Stacy woke us complaining of severe abdominal pain. Sheldon and I rushed her to the nearest hospital (big mistake, but that's a story for another day), and John stayed at the hotel with Mylee and Tyler. After a long night, and some strong arming from Sheldon, the hospital performed a CT scan where they discovered that Stacy's intestines were leaking and she was clear full of infection. She wa...

This semester I'm teaching Freshman again after a break of several years. Freshman are very different from upper-classmen. Freshman are new to the University experience and unsure about expectations. In many ways they are unspoiled, less jaded, and more enthusiastic than upper-classmen. Most upper-classmen are a bit "trunky," they have their trunks all packed and they are ready to move out of the education realm and into the "real world." Anyway, I believe that the best way to learn to write is to write. I've assigned my Freshman students to take the 8 minute challenge. That means that they each must write for 8 minutes everyday. I don't care how they write; they can journal, create, blog . . . But they must write. As a symbol of good faith I'm accepting the challenge too and to keep me focused I'm resurrecting the Grandma Jar (again!). Watch for daily updates and upbraid me if I miss!