Inheritance. |
Philosophy
and Nonsense
(Thoughts about writing,
education, and experience.)
Presented by Forrest D. Poston
 The first goal of teaching is to strengthen, deepen and refine our intrinsic love of learning. All other goals and all methods must stem from that idea. Any that do not support that goal must at least be questioned and adjusted, if not eliminated. Otherwise, we are not teaching but training. Think, I dare you.
|
Stories, and that
has made all the difference. |
| Bookin' Down Brown
Street
by
Forrest
D. Poston Never one for doing things the usual way, I once ran away to home. Of course, it made perfect sense to me at the time based on what I knew, or rather what I thought I knew from listening to the older kids in the neighborhood. According to them, school was a nasty place where only bad things happened, not a place where anyone would go or stay willingly. Okay, then I wouldn’t put up with it. Some of my logic has always been quite direct, simple some might say. If something isn’t right, then you don’t tolerate it. Ah, but there’s that little problem of knowing your sources, knowing them, checking them, and making up your mind based on something more than gossip. Hey, I was six years old. What did I know about sources? I determined even before my first day of school that I would run away. The first recess on the first day of first grade, I was ready to make my break. The architect had even worked in a secluded corner where the building hid part of the playground, so I had a spot to tell my best friend what I was doing and swear him to secrecy. Guess the secrecy part would be easier without telling someone, but I’m a storyteller. Where’s the drama if no one knows what’s happening? The bell rang to end recess, and I was off, bookin’ down Brown St. for home. I doubt that I ran the entire trip, a bit over 1/2 mile, but that’s how I always see it. That stretch is one of my memories seen through the part of me that’s my Watcher Self, a bit that’s me but always seems to be looking on from outside. In this case, it’s a nice, high shot of this little kid running down the middle of a street that goes on and on. It’s a common shot in films these days, but this was back in the days of three channels and not a lot of fancy effects. Maybe I'm a storyteller because part of me sits out there seeing the story, or perhaps part of me watches the story because I'm a storyteller, and sometimes melodramatic. I have no idea what I was expecting when I got home. I don’t think I was expecting a reward for standing up for what’s right. I don’t think I was thinking. Of course, it didn’t matter since my sworn friend had told everything as soon as he was asked, and I got home to find that my arrival was expected and quite anti-climactic. Without even time to catch my breath, I was being driven back to school. The story doesn't always go quite how the storyteller intends, which can be rather confusing, but the story also doesn't always pause when we want time to think. The drive back was much faster than the escape, and I had another issue coming, something else I couldn't control. Walking back into that room wasn’t easy. I was fully expecting a full plate of ridicule and embarrassment, probably some laughter on the side. Mrs. Hobart welcomed me back and went on with the class. As far as I can remember, not a word was ever said, not a joke, nary a whisper or a giggle. All I do remember is that by the end of the day, I no longer felt that school was a wrong to be righted or avoided. I wasn’t an avid student, but I was having a pretty good time. Did I have a revelation about not trusting gossip or taking time to gather facts and form careful, considered opinions? No. However, I like to think that it was a bit of a lesson learned, a direction to follow. On the other hand, some things haven’t changed, some ideals and tendencies. I still don’t believe in accepting what’s wrong or settling for “that’s just the way things are.” If I’d gone back and found school as bad as described, there’s no doubt I’d have soon been bookin’ down Brown St. again. E-mail Back to the Home Page |
Writing and Education Autobiography Challenge Considering Conclusions Considering Introductions Four Meanings of Life Godot and the Great Pumpkin A Major is More Minor Than You Think The Poetry Process (A look at 4 versions of a poem.) Thoughts About Picking a Major Quick Points About Education Quick Points About Writing Reading Poetry and Cloud Watching Revising Revision Reviving Experience Reviving Symbolism Using an Audience Videos What Makes a Story True? What's the Subject of This Class? (Being revised.) Why Write? Writing and Einstein (The Difference Between Information and Meaning) Writing and the Goldilocks Dilemma Links to Other Sites |
Other Essays and Poetry Something Somewhat Vaguely Like a Resume Alec Kirby, Memories of an Earnest Imp Being Like Children Beyond the Genes (Dad) The Blessing and the Blues Bookin' Down Brown Street The Cat With a Bucket List David and the Revelation The Dawn, the Dark, and the Horse I Didn't Ride In On (an odd, meandering, semi-romantic story) Getting a Clue Ghost Dancer in the Twilight Zone The Hair Connection and the Nature of Choices The Mug, the Magic, and the Mistake Roto, Rooter and the Drainy Day Sadie on the Bridge Trumpet Player, USDA Approved Videos Poetry Selected Poems The Poetry Process Links to Other Sites |