Last month was so
hectic that I didn’t send a newsletter. Both my 20-something children
were home. My daughter was studying for Part I of the National Medical
Boards (she passed!) and my son was preparing for a year of independent
study in Greece between undergraduate and graduate school. So I am
sorry that I skipped a month!
Moreover, last month Linda Janoff, the editor of the LifeJournal
newsletter, lost her battle with melanoma. I miss her--her strong
opinions, her wise counsel, her incisive wit accompanied by a hearty
laugh, and her rock-steady friendship.
You may miss her, too—although, as newsletter readers, I hope you
don’t! Please forgive me if commas and colons are not used perfectly,
or if a sentence isn’t as clear as it should be. I’ll be hearing
Linda’s words of advice whenever I write newsletters, doing the best to
recreate her editing guidance.
In honor of my very good friend and also one of the best high school
teachers my children had, I’m including an article she wrote seven
years ago, “Notes on Journaling from a High School English Teacher.”
Even if you aren’t a teacher, I recommend you read the article as it
has insightful fodder for your own journal writing.
The other article in this newsletter offers a bird’s eye view of the
journaling process with a “Journaling Cycle” model. See how the ideal
matches up with your journaling experience and then identify where
there are bumps and breaks in your own journaling cycle.
During the last six weeks I have been working on a new project that I
think you’ll really enjoy. I’ve been in correspondence with dozens of
world class journaling experts – and we’re working on getting materials
together for you that will "juice up" your journaling. Stay tuned--I’ll
be announcing specifics in the next month or so.
I hope you are enjoying your summer and finding the time to relax, reflect, and write.
Notes on Journaling from a High School English Teacher
By Linda Janoff
written July, 2002
When I started
teaching writing in high school, my challenge was to overcome students'
tendencies--whether innate or programmed--to strive merely to meet the
expectations of their teachers. For students, writing was an exercise
in figuring out "what the teacher wants."
I wanted my students to get in touch with themselves, to write for
themselves. I believe that a teenager who is aware of his/her inner
voice, gains self-respect, and that an awareness of his/her own dignity
leads a student to respect others. My ultimate goal, you might have
perceived, is world peace.
But back to the reality of the English classroom--how to help students
contact their inner voices and learn to feel worthy of, have confidence
in, and enjoy expressing themselves. READ MORE>>www.lifejournal.com/English_teacher
The Journaling Cycle: A Key to Enhancing your Journaling Experience
By Ruth Folit
July, 2009
Here's a bird’s eye
perspective to view the full sequence of the journal writing process.
Reduced to its basics, this model shows a journaling cycle that
consists of two big arcs: writing and harvesting.
Although models don’t perfectly portray the messy, human real world,
this cycle offers a simple framework for understanding the elements of
journal writing. While you read below the more detailed description of
this model, think about what your own journaling strengths and
weaknesses are. You'll be able to identify where you can inject a
little journal "juice" to enrich and deepen your journaling and insure
that you stay in the cycle.
