Writing Prompt #7 - due February 22

If you could meet anyone - past or present - who would it be and why?

It's tough to narrow it down to one person.  There are parts of history that intrigue me and I would like to meet and talk with someone who lived that history.  There are so many authors I would love to meet and talk to.  There are also several celebrities I would like to meet.  However, if I had to choose, I would love to meet Miep Gies.  She's the woman who helped hide Anne Frank and her family in the Annex during the Holocaust.  She's also the woman who helped make sure Anne's Diary was saved so it could be published later.  Without that diary, we may not know as much as we do about what some Jewish people went through in the Holocaust.  

It may seem morbid to be fascinated by the Holocaust, but I'm interested in it because it amazes me that something like that could happen.  Plus, if we don't learn from history, we're doomed to repeat it at some point and nothing like that needs to happen again.

**Now, for your assignment, make sure you copy and paste the prompt to the top of your post (NOT the title - put Writing Prompt #7 as your title).  Your entry should be at LEAST 100 words (not counting the prompt).  It needs to be posted by 11:59 pm FRIDAY.

Writing Prompt #6 - due February 13

What are you most proud of?

My kids.  As they have grown up, I'm constantly amazed at what they have done and who they've become.  I'm proud when they accomplish their goals and I'm proud when they work their hardest at something, especially when it doesn't come easily for them.  I hope they grow up to leave their mark on the world.

As a mom, the one thing I want my kids to be is happy.  I want them to do what makes them happy (within appropriate rules, of course) and I want them to succeed in life.  Being happy helps with that success.  I want them to follow their dreams and I hope they find themselves along the way so they know what those dreams are.

**Now, for your assignment, make sure you copy and paste the prompt to the top of your post (NOT the title - put Writing Prompt #6 as your title).  Your entry should be at LEAST 100 words (not counting the prompt).  It needs to be posted by 11:59 pm Wednesday.

Writing Prompt #5 - due February 6

What motivates you?

My answer to this question depends on which part of my life I'm looking at.

As a mother, my kids motivate me every day.  When I'm tired, when I'd rather do nothing, when I don't feel like what I do is enough, they're my motivation.  I have to keep going and get things done for them.  And when I feel like what I do isn't enough, usually one of them reminds me that it's exactly what they needed.  Maybe not that day, but eventually I'm reminded that it's enough.

As a teacher, seeing the student who is struggling who finally gets it (that "lightbulb moment") is what motivates me.  One year I had a student who saw that I was frustrated by what was going on and I'll never forget what he said.  He told me, "You know, Mrs. Horn, I'm thinking that teaching is a lot like building a lake." I wasn't sure where he was going with that, but I simply asked, "What do you mean?"  His response was this: "You are constantly digging that hole and some years are wet years so you see that hole fill up quickly and immediately.  Some years are dry years - maybe like this year - and you have to have faith that eventually it will rain and that hole will fill."  I had never thought about it before, but he's right.  Sometimes, what I do and what I teach matters right away.  Sometimes, I don't think I'm reaching anyone, but then - maybe years later - I learn that it had "rained" at some point and they remembered what I had taught them.  That's what motivates me.

As a coach and director, those kids motivate me every single day.  They come committed, they come passionate about what they do, and they continually amaze me with their talent.  When I've had a bad day, typically speech practice can make it brighter.  Most cannot fail to make me laugh at some point.  And, through it all, there are subtle reminders (and sometimes not so subtle reminders) of why I do it.  It's definitely not for the money :)  But it's most definitely for the kids.  They find their niche, they find out who they really are, they find out what they are really capable of - and I get to watch it all.  To me that's the biggest motivation there is.

**Now, for your assignment, make sure you copy and paste the prompt to the top of your post (NOT the title - put Writing Prompt #5 as your title).  Your entry should be at LEAST 100 words (not counting the prompt).  It needs to be posted by 11:59 pm Wednesday.