6 Ways to Celebrate National Teacher Day

May 5 is National Teacher Day. In advance of the holiday, it’s important to remember that you wouldn’t be where you are today without the teachers who influenced you throughout your life. Whether your favorite educators are from elementary school, high school, or college, make sure to tell them what a positive effect they’ve had on your life. Here are six ways to celebrate National Teacher Day.

Write a Thoughtful Letter

Sometimes heartfelt words are the best gift a teacher can receive. Think about how significantly your favorite teacher has impacted your life and take a minute to write down exactly how much she or he has done for you. Whether a great elementary science teacher influenced you to become the biologist you are today or a tough high school literature teacher challenged you to become the writer you are now, let that teacher know. Include the kids in this project and help them write a short but sweet note to their current favorite teacher.

Help With Classroom Chores

When time is short, teachers can’t always do everything they want to for their classrooms. Many teachers could use a helping hand with projects, large and small. Talk with your favorite former teacher or one that the kids love and find out how you can help. Be prepared to pitch in with photocopying educational materials, hanging art projects, or taking on lunchtime duty. For many teachers, having a little extra time each week or month is the greatest gift.

Provide Lunch

Teachers work long hours, and they don’t always have time to throw together a nutritious lunch in the morning. On National Teacher Day, tell your kids’ teachers that lunch is on you. Make lunch for a favorite teacher or partner with other parents at your kids’ school to put together a lavish lunchtime spread. If each parent volunteers for one course, your gourmet meal will come together in a flash. Choose healthy foods to keep your teachers nourished throughout the day, and don’t forget something sweet to finish the meal.

Volunteer in the Classroom

Many schools have programs that allow parents to volunteer their time in the classroom. Whether you have an hour or a whole week to give each month, volunteering your time can significantly impact how much a teacher can accomplish in the classroom. Depending on the teacher’s needs, you may be able to help coordinate an educational field trip, prepare activities in the classroom, or even organize seasonal events.

Whatever you do, know that donating your time makes the day much smoother, more efficient, and much more fun for teachers and their students. Check with a teacher or the school’s administrative staff to find out more about the school’s volunteer program.

Read About Great Teachers

There are plenty of excellent books about truly great teachers for every grade level. Choose an appropriate one to read with the kids and help them pick out the qualities that make a teacher truly great. Encourage them to think about which of their teachers have these qualities, and be sure to celebrate them on National Teacher Day.

Tell the Newspaper

Teaching can feel like a thankless job, so there’s no better way to celebrate National Teacher Day than to shout from the rooftops just how great your favorite teacher is. If you can’t quite do that, tell your local newspaper instead. Contact the newsroom about establishing a thank you section in the paper and encourage others in your community to write a note about an educator who has made a difference in their lives.

However you choose to celebrate, remember to give the educators who taught you the basics of punctuation, homophones, and everything in between a day of recognition. Donate your time, your cooking prowess, or your thoughtful words, and celebrate your teachers and their impact on your life. How will you celebrate National Teacher Day?

The Nobel Prize, Modern Shakespeare, and Tweeting Your Way to Better Writing

This week, Svetlana Alexievich broke new ground in the literary world by becoming the first journalist to win the Nobel Prize for her nonfiction writing. In other news, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has commissioned a rewrite of Shakespeare’s plays and the Internet can be both a friend and foe when it comes to your writing. Check out the full stories below:

Our Favorite Stories:

1. 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature Winner Svetlana Alexievich’s Life and Writing, Explained (Vox)
2. Shakespeare in Modern English? (The New York Times)
3. How Twitter’s 140-Character Limit Made Me a Better Writer (Life Hacker)
4. Internet Distraction: The Writer’s Main Dilemma (The Huffington Post)

Staff Book Picks of the Week:

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (A Song of Ice and Fire) (Fiction) George R. R. Martin

“Taking place nearly a century before the events of A Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin’s ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire. These never-before-collected adventures recount an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living consciousness.”

 

A House of My Own: Stories from My Life (Nonfiction) Sandra Cisneros

“From the author of The House on Mango Street, a richly illustrated compilation of true stories and nonfiction pieces that, taken together, form a jigsaw autobiography—an intimate album of a beloved literary legend.”

Author & Illustrator Birthdays

Donald Sobol — October 4, 1924

Anne Rice — October 4, 1941

Louise Fitzhugh — October 5, 1928

R.L. Stein — October 8, 1943

 

21 Ways to Inspire Creativity When You’re Out of Ideas

Every creative person is subject to the whims of a fickle muse that doesn’t always show up when we need it to. Fortunately, there are ways to make our minds a more hospitable place for ideas. Read on for twenty-one easy tips that will help you make inspiration a more frequent guest.

1 Listen to music.

Multiple studies show that music can increase creativity and focus. Research indicates that listening to classical is only really beneficial if you actually like that style of music, so listen to something you enjoy that isn’t too novel or distracting.

2 Journal every day.

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way and numerous other books on living a creative life, has long touted the benefits of writing three pages in longhand every morning to keep the creative spark glowing.

3 Join a group of creatives.

Creating can be a lonely activity, so head to Facebook or MeetUp to find groups in your area that gather regularly to share ideas and inspiration. You may even get some helpful feedback.

4 Take a walk.

A Stanford Study showed that the simple act of strolling, even in a familiar or boring setting, can give your creativity a jump-start.

5 Turn off (or cover) your monitor.

Interesting things happen when you can’t edit—you have to move ahead rather than worry about what’s behind you. Sure, you’ll make tons of typos, but you can fix those. Later.

6 Reward yourself for writing with a kitten.

(No, not a real one. That could get expensive, not to mention potentially unhygienic.) For every hundred words you write, Written? Kitten! will reward you with an image of a cuddly kitty. Not a feline fan? You can get puppies or bunnies instead.

7 Mind map.

Don’t know how? Let the inventor of mind mapping show you.

8 Carry an idea notebook.

Inspiration can strike at the most inconvenient times. Carrying a small notebook can help you capture and record ideas that come to you while you’re out and about. You can even draw doodles or save clippings. But do it the old-fashioned way—there are benefits to writing longhand.

9 Freewrite.

Give yourself permission to write whatever comes into your head, set a timer for a short period to encourage you to write fast, and then just let ’er rip. You might be surprised by what surfaces!

10 Join a social writing site.

If your muse gets lonely, online social sites for writers, such as Wattpad or Amazon Kindle’s Write On, may help. (Just be aware that getting noticed and earning feedback on these sites can require a significant time commitment.)

11 Go somewhere busy.

Head to a mall, coffee shop, or event—any place where you can watch people. You might even take notes in the aforementioned idea notebook.

12 Go someplace quiet.

Commune with nature in a serene setting where you can clear your head and make room for creative thoughts to flow in.

13 Do something brave.

Shy? Join an improv group. Clumsy? Take a beginner’s dance class. Do something that pushes your limits and then use your experiences for inspiration.

14 Attend a creative event.

Even small towns have poetry readings, book signings, recitals, and art shows. The world is full of creators doing creative things—go watch them and you may find yourself inspired to join them.

15 Perform a mundane task.

Research shows that performing simple tasks can release creative thoughts. You never know what inspiration will wash over you while you’re folding laundry or sorting the widgets in your widget drawer. And speaking of repetitive things . . .

16 Knit or crochet.

These repetitive motion crafts have benefits similar to meditation and can help you direct your creative energies.

17 Make a list.

If you’re stuck on something, jot down a list of as many ideas as you can think of. (Or try this List of 100 technique.) Focus on quantity over quality—you’ll sort out and refine the good ones later.

18 Have a conversation.

The simple act of chatting with others can get the creative juices flowing. But don’t just make small talk—dig in and really get to know someone. If you’re in need of conversation starters, here’s a little random inspiration.

19 Keep an idea file.

Use an app like Evernote or Dropbox to keep an idea log where you can store everything from notes to articles about topics that interest you.

20 Try a topic generator.

If your blog is languishing for lack of ideas, a topic generator just might help. Here’s one from HubSpot and another fun one from Portent.

21 Light a vanilla cinnamon candle.

Cinnamon and vanilla smells seem to boost creativity. And hey, if nothing else, your writing space will smell amazing.

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs are verbs that serve as a connection between a subject and further information about that subject. They do not show any action; rather, they “link” the subject with the rest of the sentence. The verb to be is the most common linking verb, but there are many others, including all the sense verbs.

A handful—a very frequently used handful—of verbs are always linking verbs:

• all forms of to be (am, is, are, was, were, has been, are being, might be, etc.)
• to become
• to seem

These verbs always link subjects to something that further describes the subject of the sentence.

She is a nurse.

The moon is in outer space.

I have become weary of your methodical approach to waltzing.

The Dalai Lama seems like a nice guy.

These sentences show that a linking verb can connect the subject with a number of sentence elements. Nurse is a noun; in outer space is a prepositional phrase; weary is an adjective; and a nice guy is a phrase that contains both an adjective and a noun. All of them give us more information about what these subjects are, have become, or seem to be.

Some Verbs Can Be Both Action and Linking Verbs

Alas, English has many ambiguities, and some linking verbs can also function as action verbs. These include all the sense verbs, such as look, touch, smell, appear, feel, sound, and taste. There are also some outliers, such as turn, grow, remain, and prove. Used as linking verbs, these verbs can give added information about the sentence’s subject.

The ocean looked peaceful that fine Tuesday.

I felt so excited that day.

That man appears somewhat melancholy.

The soup tastes spicier than usual.

Rachel’s theory about time management remains untested.

All these verbs can do double duty, however, as action verbs.

I felt on the floor for my lost keys.

The man appeared suddenly right in front of me.

Would you taste that soup for me?

Remain here while I go ask Rachel about time management.

Why Text Messaging is Butchering Grammar

Guest post from Emily Green

Well, it took a decade, but it’s finally happened. People text so much that they’ve forgotten how to use proper grammar. What’s worse, it seems like the general population is accommodating them. This needs to stop. Let’s look at why text messaging is butchering grammar and what we can do to stop it.

Typing Shorthand is the Popular Style

You may not know what shorthand is by its name, but you’ve definitely seen it. Have you ever seen someone on Facebook type like their keyboard is missing vowels? That’s shorthand. It’s when people can’t be bothered to talk properly. It’s translated to e-mails, general Internet chat, and, sadly, even schoolwork. All too often, people write “wud” instead of “would,” “lyke” instead of “like,” and so on. This type of typing isn’t even acceptable on phones anymore! Blackberry phones include a spellcheck option, so use it and stop looking like a tool.

Typing shorthand is extremely tempting because it saves a few seconds. Maybe you’re not supposed to have your phone out, or you’re in the car (don’t text and drive), and you need to send just one text. It’s a slippery slope, though. Soon, that texting becomes how we write, especially in younger children. It’s best to avoid shorthand style altogether.

They’re Adding Acronyms to the Dictionary

It’s difficult to describe the thoughts that came to mind when this news was revealed, but the “powers that be” have started to add acronyms to the dictionary. “LOL,” “FYI,” and “OMG” – meaning laughing out loud, for your information, and oh my god, respectively – were added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Really? As if we’re not butchering the language enough, we’re now making it okay to do so? It’s embarrassing that these words were added to the dictionary — they have no place being there. What will people a hundred years from now think of this generation? Is this really the legacy that we want to leave behind — that text messaging made us too lazy to type out full words?

It’s almost scary to think of what the future holds. If they’ll add acronyms, will they add words that are misspelled? When Webster wrote the dictionary, he made a few changes. He dropped the “u” in colour, honour, and other similar words; he substituted an “s” for “c” in a few words; and he made other little changes. Will that be something that happens in the future? Do you really want to live in a world where “alot” is acceptable?

What Does This Mean for the Future?

These changes imply a much darker future for grammar. It seems like fewer people are reading books lately, and even fewer letters are being sent by mail. In fact, texting is eroding literacy in young adults. The next generation of adults will be faced with serious literacy issues, which could lead to even more serious problems. We’re already facing some grammar and literacy barriers between generations.

The next generation is going to be peppered with poor grammar, misplaced homonyms, and more, which may be why editors are in demand. As we’re all so absorbed in our phones, this constant texting could lead to some serious social and communication as well. This is evident with Facebook and Twitter’s popularity. We find ways to say what we want in 140 characters (or less), but we struggle in a face-to-face conversation.

So, what does this mean for the future? It’s difficult to say. Really, it could go either way. The texting generation could prevail, and we could live in a world that’s similar to the film “Idiocracy” — everyone lives a brain-dead life, everything is picture or symbol based, and intelligent adults are few and far between. Or, people could realize how ridiculous they sound and grammar could make a triumphant comeback.

What do you think? Does text messaging butcher the English language? Is grammar dying a slow, painful death? Leave a comment below and weigh in on the situation.

About the Author

Emily Green is a freelance writer with more than six years of experience. When she is not writing she like to go on jogs.

Not-So-Sweet 16: Boss CC Sneak Attack vs. Over-Forwarding

Welcome back to the Not-So-Sweet 16! Today, we have two powerhouse email competitors that vie for the enviable title of “most annoying email habit.” Which do you think is worse, sneaky CCs or mass forwards?

Boss CC Sneak Attack:

Occasionally, there is a reason to CC your manager on an email about a project or issue you’re working on. This is not one of those times. The “sneak attack” occurs when someone adds your boss to a thread in order to intimidate you or encourage a specific outcome. Not cool.

Over-Forwarding:

We all know the panic of opening your email and seeing a message with a subject that reads “Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Action Items.” Passing the buck, whether in-person or over email, is never fun, and somehow over-forwarding makes an already uncomfortable situation worse.

Possessive Pronouns: Rules and Examples

Possessive pronouns show that something belongs to someone. The possessive pronouns are my, our, your, his, her, its, and their. There’s also an “independent” form of each of these pronouns: mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, and theirs. Possessive pronouns are never spelled with apostrophes.

Possessive pronouns simplify constructions that show possession of a noun.

Jane takes pride in Jane’s outfits.

It sounds odd to use Jane’s name twice in this sentence. A possessive pronoun solves the problem:

Jane takes pride in her outfits.

Thus, possessive pronouns are quite handy and are used frequently in the English language.

My plane is delayed.

Your dinner is ready.

Could you bring his tea out to him?

Remember not to judge a book by its cover.

I would have knocked on their door, but I heard their baby crying.

Independent Possessive Pronouns

Independent possessive pronouns (also called absolute possessive pronouns) must be used without a noun.

My phone is dead. Pass me yours.

Did you know that Labrador is mine?

The house on the corner is theirs.

As you can see, it is common to see independent possessive pronouns at the ends of clauses or phrases.

A Common Mistake: Its vs. It’s

A very common error is putting an apostrophe in the possessive pronoun its. It is easy to confuse its with the contraction of it is, it’s, which does have an apostrophe. Remember, though, possessive pronouns never use apostrophes.

The boat lost it’s mast in the storm.

The boat lost its mast in the storm.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

If you think about the rules for possessive pronouns for a split second every time you write its or it’s, you will never make this mistake again.