teacher Archives • DAVID G

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START AGAIN THEN FINISH

September 20, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Is that the plan? Start, finish, and start again? Or is it start, abandon, and forget about it. Either way, you need a goal to keep going. If you can explain why you do what you do to yourself, and it makes sense, keep going. But what about explaining your work to strangers?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: agent, baby boomer, Baby Boomers, boomerpdx, editor, finish, instructor, Love, sing, start, start again, teacher, write, writer, writing

DAD DAYS TO GRANDDAD AND BEYOND

September 19, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Dad days never end, and I’m glad. I didn’t sign up for the part time version. There wasn’t a switch to throw for the eighteenth birthday that said, ‘I’m done.’ I’ve been a dad since my first born, then doubled up with my second. Since then a few surprises joined up, just not those surprises.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: academic, another dad, college, Dad, dad days, dad hug, education, funeral, graduate school, granddad, grandpa, grave, honor, husband, kids, last goodbye, role model, school, teacher, teachers, wife

WRITING ROOTS: HOW DEEP DO THEY GROW

April 27, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Writing roots are reading roots. Everybody knows that from their first grade if they had a teacher as good as Mrs. Baker. I recall her saying, ‘Our writing is a reflection of our reading.’ I believed it then as I believe it now. (Folding a corner to mark my place in Patrick DeWitt’s novel The […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: characters, comeback story, conflict, English major, family roots, history major, Patrick DeWitt, readers, reading, reading roots, sisters brothers, story, story structure, teacher, work roots, write, writer, writing, writing roots, written story

OLD LESSON PLAN FOR NEW TIMES

March 8, 2024 by David Gillaspie

An old lesson plan? From Aristotle? Who needs one with new lessons every day? More like who doesn’t? Sometimes it takes a while for things to sink in.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Aristotle, better listeners, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, caesar, Death, education, great stories, history, japan, japanese, Lakewood theater, lesson plan, listening, mentors, moral codes, plato, roman, socrates, story, story structure, storytelling, teacher, teachers, teaching, three acts, war story, writer, writers, writing, WWII

WINNING ARGUMENTS: THEN AND NOW

February 6, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Winning arguments with strangers is one thing; winning the same argument with someone close comes with side-effects. Someone close? How close. Let’s start with an internal argument, that little voice that won’t go away. Can’t get any closer than that, huh?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: bad apple, black sheep, blame, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, calm, calm down, David Gillaspie, education, lady gaga, memorial, Mother Nature, nature, positive self-talk, remembered, remembering, smart move, surrender, teach, teacher, teaching, teaching moment, useful, writer, writers, writing

BIG BROTHER WORK NEVER ENDS

September 14, 2023 by David Gillaspie

Big brother comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. A good big brother can be a guiding light. Growing up with someone who knows their role can set the stage for a good life. On the other hand? Roles can change.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: 1984, Authority, big brother, brother, coach, family, father, football, helper, orwell, teacher, work

RECOMMENDED READING: T.C. BOYLE’S ‘GOING DOWN’

October 29, 2022 by David Gillaspie

Recommended reading for writers? Common advice is to read everything, whatever that means. Do I read everything? Everything in a bookstore, or library? No, I read for inspiration, I read for cause, and my cause is writing.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blogger, book, books, boomerpdx, common advice, education, experienced teacher, inspire, Kilgore trout, Kurt Vonnegut, read everything, reading, reading books, recommended reading, TC Boyle, teacher, twitter, writer, writers, writing

STUDENT LOANS FROM THE 70’S

August 26, 2022 by David Gillaspie

Student loans start with a desire to learn, to go to college, to do something. Was it different in the 70’s? The smart academic advice on the street then was, Drop out, Turn on, Tune in. Given by a PhD.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: academic ambitions, Army, baby boomer, Baby Boomers, boomerpdx, education, Joe biden, Love, Portland, Portland Oregon, Portland State, president biden, repayment, Southern Oregon, student debt, student loans, teacher, university of oregon

FIRST YOU SCREW UP, THEN THE FALLOUT

March 8, 2022 by David Gillaspie

When you screw up, you know it. At least you should know. Something is broken, or lost, or stolen because of you? After that the decisions start to pile up. Tell others what happened? Admit to your self? Or, pretend nothing happened, nothing to see, and move along. Which one are you?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: accident, donald trump, John bolton, leadership, Mike Pompeo, mistake, parent, Putin, responsible man, Russia, screw up, teacher, trump, Ukraine, William barr

HEADLOCK EDUCATION IN THE EIGHTH GRADE, 1969

December 14, 2021 by David Gillaspie

Headlock education is a fond memory that follows, with names changed to protect the innocent, but since it was small town eighth grade how guilty can anyone be? I’ve learned that teachers have two jobs, teaching their subject and teaching life. Fight me.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: education, headlock, headlock education, learning, life long learner, life long learning, memory, teacher, teachers