The Power of Books

 

 It was Richard Steele, who said that "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." In other words, just as physical exercise keeps the body healthy, reading keeps the mind sound. 

The mental advantage reading brings to the mind, also takes limitation out of the mind and exposes it to mountain heights that have not been physically reached yet. This shows how powerful books are, and how much of an influence they could have on an individual. 

However , the books we read, need to be sieved, because not all content are needed for a transforming mind. People eventually become what they read unconsciously. So one must be careful of the mental blocks that are added to the mind when exposed to books. 

As we celebrate World Book Day today, let's bear this in mind, that some  of the great men and women we admire today were exposed to books: 

" I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that, grew out of the fact that I had a chance to read a lot. " Bill Gates

" Reading is a way for me to expand my mind, open my eyes, and fill up my heart " Oprah Winfrey.

Let's continue this journey... Happy World Book Day. 

Happy International Day of Education

Education is more than just a store of knowledge; it a process of learning which never really ends. 

Most people have confused education with just being within the four walls of a school, and acquiring some knowledge. Although this is not far from the truth, education goes beyond that.

When education influences, choices and judgements, then the goal is achieved. In other words, until knowledge finds it's way to the decisions people make, until it affects the way people think, until this process of learning called education, helps you build your critical thinking skill, education has not taken place. 

What then is education in summary? Education is not teaching the mind what to think, it is teaching the mind how to think. This is a continuous process, and every authority involved in the development of young minds, is a team player. Let's raise intellectuals who would solve future problems, let's expand the scope of education.

Happy International Day of Education! 

Beyond a Teacher

A teacher is one who traditionally imparts students with knowledge, and nothing more. Although this is good, it is not enough, because the school system has gone beyond that threshold, and demands for more.

 The extra attention that the educational system craves for can only be  given through effective school leadership. This is why every teacher should not just see themselves as teachers, but as school leaders. A school leader, is one who  motivates students, other teachers and parents, to achieve a common educational goal. They strive to encourage a team work in raising 21^st century students.  

Aside being a school leader, a teacher is also a learning facilitator, who helps students to be a part of their own learning experience, and to use the knowledge they have acquired, to deal with real life issues.

A teacher as an agent of change, is  also expected to be a curriculum developer. A curriculum developer is able to identify the educational needs of students, and develop a teaching plan on how to meet   those educational needs, and school standards. This is beyond being knowledgeable in various areas, it is about proffering relevant solutions to educational problems. This leads to the next Skill a teacher should have.

Any product that doesn’t solve any problem, will not sell. This is because problems naturally gravitate towards their solutions. Every teacher is a product, that should solve a problem. To attain this height in the teaching career, a lot of other factors must come into play. Some of these factors are soft skills, such as decision making, negotiation, creativity, team building, communication, and many more.

Being labeled “More than a teacher” entails that a teacher exhibits more than the traditional qualities of a teacher, and emerges as a 21^st century teacher; one who is equipped with different relevant skills, for their teaching journey.  A skillful teacher will always be sort for, because there is always a problem to solve in the educational system. The call is to skill up, and move one more mile.

Finally, teachers are models, who must mentor their students, and other teachers. What best way is there to do it, than being a mirror that reflects agents of change . The key is keep up with continuous professional development, diligence, and consistency.

 

Happy World Poetry Day

 

Poetry is an interesting genre of literature. It is a great way to express yourself. Different cultures of the world somehow have poetry embedded in them. This is why poetry should be paid attention to, as a unique way of expression.

You might like to know some things about poems:

1.      They are written in lines and stanzas

2.      They have rhythms which give them that musical feeling

3.      They mostly feature the use of sound devices such as, alliteration and assonance

4.      They feature some figures of speech

5.      Repetition of some words is employed for emphasis in most poems

6.      Poetry also employs the use of imagery to enrich its language

Some common types of poems;

1.   Free Verse Poem: as the name implies; it is a poem with no particular structure. Most free verse poems have run on lines.

2.      Octave: This is a poem or a stanza of eight lines

3.      Acrostic Poem: This type of poem spells a word with the first letters of all its lines

4.      Rhyme Poem. Poems are interesting to read, when some words rhyme in sounds

5.      Sonnet: This is a poem of fourteen lines.

 

Light Up

Making people happy makes me feel

Responsible

Sometimes this is hard but

 

Determination always wins

Although it appears futile

Never give up on passion

 

Just like a glowing light

Uniqueness stands us out

Making us special

But only when we move

Out of the ordinary

 

I am sure you can figure out what type of poem this is.

Happy World Poetry Day!

Teaching How to Write a Story

                                               Photo credit: British Royal Class Academy

Getting ready to teach how to write a story means that one knows what a good story is. How is a good story judged then? A good story is one with a strong opening, vivid description, exciting characters, an interesting twist, logical structure and a powerful ending.

Teaching students how to write a story is another challenge for most creative writing instructors. This is because story writing is more of an imaginary writing, than writing from something real. So how does a teacher help a student who has no bearing in story writing?

Before teaching your students how to write a story, you should make sure that a lot of stories have been read to them. Story telling is a major part of the creative writing class. This makes students want to write and share their stories too. Then outline the elements of a story and teach them as mini lessons.

STORY ELEMENT: PLOT 

1.     Begin with the lesson on plot development

APPLICATION: 

Teach about plot first; let your students understand that the plot of a story is more like the skeleton of a story, which captures the events in a story from the beginning, middle and ending. You can also show them a model, preferably, use a story they know so well, so that when you ask them to write theirs, they know exactly what you are expecting from them. Let us consider the popular traditional story of Cinderella.

Cinderella was a poor girl who was maltreated by her step mother and step sisters. One day, it was announced that the prince wanted to pick his bride, but he would choose from the girls who danced at a banquet. Cinderella wanted to go, but couldn’t because her step mother wouldn’t allow her and she had no dress to wear. A fairy came and helped her, but she must be home before mid-night. Cinderella made it to the banquet, but as she was running back home, one of her shoes slipped off. The prince tried to run after her, he picked up the shoe and watched her go. It was announced that the prince would marry the girl who had the other shoe. The prince finally found Cinderella, and she became his princess.

You can ask your students to write the plots of some stories they know so well, paying attention to the conflict and resolution. Then ask them to write the plots of their own story, making sure that they capture the elements of a good plot.

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'Show' not 'Tell'

  

I am sure you must have heard this phrase several times, especially from creative writing instructors.  Writing experts believe that your writing is more interesting if your readers are drawn into your world of imagination by drawing inferences.

‘Show’ not ‘Tell’, is a technique in writing which is employed to provide details about characters or settings. These details, help readers to figure out some information about characters and settings.

I will like to draw examples from two of my students’ write ups. It was really interesting reading their work as they try to use this technique.

1. Tell: John is angry

    Show: John flung all the documents on his table and kicked the chairs beside it. He held his head in both hands, tightly gnashing his teeth and roaring like a hungry lion.

2. Tell: John is sad

   Show: John opened his room and sluggishly sat on the bed shaking his head. He finally rested his head on his hands and gave a heavy sigh.

DIVINE EZE OGBONNA (SSS 2, WINNERS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY, PORTHARCOURT)

1. Tell: John is angry

   Show:  The rage in his breath as he walked to-and fro the room, muttering words that no one could hear. John walked out of the room banging the door behind him and breaking the nearest breakable he could lay his hands on.

2. Tell: John is sad

   Show:  The misery on John’s face left him in deep thoughts, as he sat quietly at the corner of his bed one afternoon. As tears rolled down his cheeks, goose bumps filled his entire body, making him breathe heavily.

OBOT DEBORAH ELIJAH (SSS 2, WINNERS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY, PORTHARCOURT) 

It is your turn. Figure out this character

1. Show: Joana slowly opened the door which made a screeching sound as it gradually opened. She bent to dodge from a dangling cobweb which seemed to have formed a net at the entrance of the house.  She moved towards the dinning and made patterns on the table. She tried talking, but was greeted by her own echo.

     Tell:

2.   Show:

      Tell: Joana is nervous

JOURNAL ENTRIES

Journal entries are pieces of writing that can form a whole depending on how it is organised. Each entry of a journal could highlight something different. Journals are usually expressions of one's interest and opinion. Although they are mostly private, we still share them once in a while for the sake of having someone else read through them and improve on them generally.

                                                                                                        

So then, let's roll; take one step up in your writing today and start your journal entry.