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Teaching Life and History
Fresh from high school, I enrolled at the local community college. I had big dreams of getting through my two year program, finding a decent job, and coasting through life. Higher aspirations were non-existent or, if they did exist at all, were labelled dreams (and quickly put on a very dusty mental shelf). That all changed with a single conversation with a very influential teacher. I had just completed my first year of the program and, as a tradition, this professor invited each student into his office for a quick fifteen minute hear-to-heart. I signed up for a later time slot and planned to stay up late playing video games, sleep in, grab a late breakfast, and still make it on time.
I don't remember a lot of the conversation from that day, and that's ok. What I do remember changed my life in a drastic way. At some point, our talk turned to future plans. I mentioned that as long as I get a job, I'd be content. The professor took a moment, studying my face to make sure I was being honest. After satisfying his curiosity, he said, "Kevin, you can only get out of life what you give. If you shoot low, you'll hit low. You're better than that." This man had only known me for seven months. His words were strong and they hit home. Clearly, I've managed to make it past my college days and have done a lot more academically than I ever thought possible. More importantly, I've 'graduated' to a new challenge: parenting. Just like in life though, I'm only able to get out of my kids what I'm willing to give (yes, I did say kids. More on that in a future post). For instance, let's focus in on one specific topic: behaviours. My kids can only learn the behaviours they see. Sure, there are some elements of their personality that they'll undoubtedly pick up on their own, but the majority (arguably of course) of who they are is derived from what they see. In order to develop the 'right' behaviours (for example - honesty, curiosity, empathy, humour, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and so on), I need to be able to model those behaviours. To take this idea one step further, I need to cultivate a community of practice. This idea, first suggeted by Maria Droujkova, but brought to my attention through Erika Christakis' book The Importance of Being Little, states that the 'learner' must be part of a group of people actively using the desired skills all the time. In our concept, the learner is our child, the group of people a family unit, and desired skills are the identified behaviours. So, how can my little community of practice encourage the development of specific behaviours? There are a few methods we utilize.
What areas could you become a better role-model for your kids? Until next time.
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I love to write. I love the thrill of bringing new ideas to life on a fresh sheet of paper, digital or otherwise. I love that the only thing that can ever limit your writing is you. Your imagination rules when it comes to writing. Nothing is off limits. A story about talking animals? Sure! Aliens crash landed on Earth? Why not? Literally, anything goes. While this is the beauty of writing, it can also be its most frustrating element.
The sheer mass of available topics, questions, solutions, thoughts, and the rest is astronomical; its crushing. Without focus, without determination and perseverance, the author can quickly become pulverized in the possibilities, crushed by the choices, asphyxiated by the availability. You get the picture. During my two and a half years as a graduate student in history, I found these choices difficult, but manageable. While I was given the freedom to write on any topic for my courses, I was also limited in a sense by the course topic and syllabus. The selection was there, but only in a much subdued sense. Once I completed the program, my writing world opened wide. No longer did I have to meet a word count or particular topic. I was free! I could write anything! This thought paralyzed me. I choked. I couldn't put pen to paper. I knew something had to be done. How do you solve the problem of too much freedom? I was too financial unstable to go back to school (and let's face it, I was tired of school by that point). There was no demand for written work in my work world. I was stumped. Then, the solution became clear. I read it in Kelly James-Enger's Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success. In her section on marketing yourself, she suggests thinking about what you can offer current and future readers. So here it is, what I can offer you: parenting and history. Parenting is a difficult task. There's no handbook, but everyone with kids is expected to do it. While I am far from an expert, I am passionate about making sure my daughter grows, learns, and treats others how she wishes to be treated everyday. It's challenging, but I'm lucky to have a loving wife who partners with me and makes the load a bit lighter. History can also be a difficult task. Finding your sources, interpreting them, and making relevant connections to the present can be challenging at times; but the rewards are well worth it. These are the two areas that I feel I can offer the most to all readers. Parenting and history. The purpose of this blog is to explore both. The challenge I am putting in front of me is to find where these two intersect. How can I use history to encourage my daughter to live a better life? What can my wife and I do to encourage our daughter to explore the world around her, to ask questions, to do the hard research, to find answers? Sounds like a daunting task. The posts on The Historical Dad may focus solely on parenting, on history, or both. Sometimes, I may delve into thoughts on writing. I like to keep the material fresh and engaging. In order to do this, you guys (the readers) are essential. Let me know what you think on a topic. Ask questions that get me thinking about my position. Suggest future topics to write on. Get involved! The last thing I want this blog to become is me writing into space with no engagement. Until next time. |
AuthorMy name is Kevin. I'm a husband, a dad and a historian, in that order. Archives
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