Taking Action

My sister-in-law, Shannon Lewis, sent me this picture of her sixth-grade class. Guess what they're holding up?

Letters to a soldier in Iraq!

Yup. They're reading Operation Yes together and taking action. They plan to do more. I love it.

Also, Shannon must have a karmic connection to this book because

1) She's done improv with her students before (Natalie, they're digging the new suggestions from your wonderful teacher's guide.)

2) She says "I have always done push-ups in my class because we do this activity called roundtable and I am not supposed to talk. For each time I do, push ups." Go, Shannon!

3) She's had a beat-up old couch in her class for FIVE YEARS.

Finally, did you all see the editorial in USA TODAY from Michelle Obama and Jill Biden? It's called "The Troops Need Us."

As a country, we have come a long way in how we support our veterans and military families. In our travels to base communities from Fort Bragg to Camp Pendleton, we have seen employers creating innovative programs to support military families, classrooms adopting deployed units, faith communities providing prayers and support, and countless other acts of kindness.

Yet there is still more work to be done.

Our military families are strong, resilient and proud to serve their country.

Nonetheless, they don't always feel that the rest of the country is part of the war effort. We've met National Guard families who feel isolated because they are the only members of their communities experiencing the deployment of a loved one. We've heard from military kids who struggle in school while their parents are deployed.

Remarkably, these same families still find time to serve their communities every day. They are troops who come home from a long deployment and coach Little League or mentor a child. They are children who tutor their younger siblings, and spouses who balance their families with jobs, school, community service — or all of the above. They are wounded warriors, survivors and veterans who continue to give so much to our country.

[...] That's why we're challenging every sector of American society to support and engage our military families. You don't have to come from a military family, have a base in your community, or be an expert in military issues to make a difference. Every American can do something.

Clearly, Mrs. Lewis and her sixth-graders are doing something. Mrs. Obama, Mrs. Biden, I wish you'd send them a thumbs-up or something.

Read more of the editorial here.

Day of Service: Where Does Writing Fit In?

How can writing be of service?

I'm still working on answers to that question, but I love what Francisco Stork has to say about where we should begin:

Why write if not to give and to give your best? The thing about writing from a spirit of generosity that is not so obvious is that if the spirit of giving is not in your writing, your writing will not be as good as it could be. It will be superficial and you will not give the reader what he or she most desires. And the reader will not give the work his or her full devotion. There is a connection between “why” you write and “how” you write. If giving is the reason why you write you will reach a depth in your writing that will not be reached if you are motivated by anything else other than the desire to give. Writing that is born out of a desire to give is the writing that lasts.

Here is the rest of his gently provocative post, The Six Perfections of Writing.

What do you think? Is writing service? If so, you have to admit that it's not what immediately comes to mind on these sorts of occasions. How can we get better at that?

Note: Francisco Stork is the author of Marcelo in the Real World (March 09, Arthur A. Levine Books.) I have a proof of the book beside me now that I've just begun to read. I only meant to read one chapter and then go to bed, but somehow, I'm deep into Chapter 5. More about it later, I promise.