Counting the two this week, I've been to 24 of these conferences since the fall of 2004 when I went to my son's first one. I never miss them. I'm lucky to have the type of children that teachers want in their class. These conversations are mostly a love-fest about my kids. But, occasionally, some actionable feedback does come up. That was the case this week. What was striking was the same point came up in both conferences.
My daughters could be better writers.
They are by no means illiterate. In fact, for their grade levels, they are avid readers. Their writing is adequate, but they are capable of increased volume, better organization and more depth of written expression.
It made me think. What sort of example am I setting for them as a writer? Most days, my writing consists of a dozen or so emails, maybe some technical documentation and, if I'm lucky, I get to spend time actually writing computer programs. The programming part is what I enjoy about my profession and why I do it. The rest is just baggage that comes along for the ride. None of it is terribly interesting to read. Necessary in some contexts, important, profitable.... but hardly interesting.
I don't write for enjoyment anymore. Sure, I read for enjoyment. But write? Who has time for that?
Last night, I was watching Ken Burns' The National Parks: America's Best Idea and I was struck by the writings quoted from the 19th century thinkers that were influencing the creation of the park system. Take, for example, this sample from John Muir's The Yosemite,
But no temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite. Every rock in its walls seems to glow with life. Some lean back in majestic repose; others, absolutely sheer or nearly so for thousands of feet, advance beyond their companions in thoughtful attitudes, giving welcome to storms and calms alike, seemingly aware, yet heedless, of everything going on about them. Awful in stern, immovable majesty, how softly these rocks are adorned, and how fine and reassuring the company they keep: their feet among beautiful groves and meadows, their brows in the sky, a thousand flowers leaning confidingly against their feet, bathed in floods of water, floods of light, while the snow and waterfalls, the winds and avalanches and clouds shine and sing and wreathe about them as the years go by, and myriads of small winged creatures birds, bees, butterflies—give glad animation and help to make all the air into music.Clearly, this is a man used to writing things people want to read. Less than 200 years after Muir wrote those words could we really become a postliterate society?
In 2009, Patrick Tucker wrote an article called The Dawn of the Postliterate Age in The Futurist. He presents a compelling case and research to suggest that by 2050, no one will write anymore. He ends the piece with a hopeful, alternative suggestion in the face of such a bleak future
This scenario exists alongside another future in which young people reject many of the devices, networks, and digital services that today’s adults market to them so relentlessly. Being more technologically literate, they develop the capacities to resist the constant push of faster, cheaper, easier information and select among the new and the old on the basis of real value. If we are lucky, today’s young people will do what countless generations before them have done: defy authority.This week, I've decided to dedicate myself to do more to help my children become those who make choices based on "real value". I need to do more to help them become content creators, not just consumers.
I am hopeful that Tucker's alternative vision might come to pass. This week alone, I came across three examples of people that moved more to the creator side of the content consumer/creator dichotomy.
Kassem GharaibehThese three guys, while all embracing modern means, are at various stages of careers that one way or another require them to communicate to an audience. To varying degrees, they each inspire me to try harder to find a way, through words, to share ideas that are of "real value".
Ok, so KassemG doesn't immediately stand out as a savior to divert us from the postliterate age. At first glance, he seems to be what a thinking person would fear as the epitome of the postliterati. I first heard about him in a piece on KQED's California Report on Maker Studios. He went from working at a BestBuy and doing standup in Chinese restaurants to being a fulltime video creator with almost 2 million subscribers on YouTube. According to a 2011 NY Times article, Maker Studios makes it its business to find video creators like KassemG and nuture them. What I find remarkable about the trend is that the creators start out just doing stuff they like and it grows.
Kevin Clash
If you want to find someone who starts out doing something he loves and just runs with it, you'd be hard pressed to find a better example than Kevin Clash, the puppeteer responsible for the muppet character, Elmo. I watched Being Elmo, a documentary that follows Kevin from being an awkward kid that cuts up his dad's coat to make a puppet to being an acknowledged master of his craft giving back to kids who aspire to be puppeteers just like him. I really did find his story to be inspiring.
David Raccah
David is a former coworker of mine. I really don't know him that well, but we are connected on LinkedIn and I noticed that his profile lists his primary occupation as "Blogger and editor of Kosherwinemusings". David is a guy that could probably land any tech job he wanted. He might just be working in stealth mode on something, but I like to imagine that he's moved past the need to clock in at a tech job and is feeding his passion.
That brings me back to my daughters' teacher conferences. This week, I've resolved to devote more effort to writing in order to be an example for them. I found this blog I started 4 years ago with a nostalgic post longing for, of all things, the Reagan presidency. I can do better, and not take so long between posts, too.
