Children During the American Revolution -- September 12, 2013

Today I went to Good Shepherd School in Pacifica and talked to grades 6-7-8 about Children's Lives During the American Revolution. They are participating in a DAR essay contest on the subject. I talked about how they will be writing a lot of essays in junior high, high school and college, so it important to practice certain skills:
Analyze.  Study the topic/question.  Make sure you understand the words.  Looking up the words you know and use every day might give you an idea of what to write about.  I asked if anyone there was a child.  Then we discussed the definition of "child."
Angle.  I said the person who reads the essay for the DAR might have to read hundreds.  How can you make yours stand out?  Look for a unique angle.
A___.  I said I'd fill that one in later.  After I finished, I said it was "Amuse."  If someone has to read hundreds of essays, they'll remember yours if you find a good story or anecdote to tell.

It was fun, but I am tired. 

Unsung Heroes -- September 11, 2012

Today I went to Good Shepherd School in Pacifica and talked to grades 6-7-8 about unsung heroes of the Revolutionary War. They are participating in a DAR essay contest on the subject. They had trouble with the idea of an unsung hero.  I asked if there was such a thing as a sung hero.  I told them how cultures used to make songs about their great heroes.  I mentioned Gilgamesh, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Aeneid, Beowulf and the sagas.  I talked about different groups and people from each group who are not famous.  One example was Joseph Louis Cook, Akiatonharónkwen, a man of mixed African and Mohawk descent, who led the Oneidas on the side of the Patriots. The sketch "Colonel Louis of the Oneidas" is by John Trumbull. This was the fourth year I have talked to the 8th graders.  I enjoyed the experience, but I'm very tired. 

DW Griffith's America -- May 19, 2012

I went to the Hyatt Garden Hotel in Foster City to speak to the Daughters of the American Revolution.  After lunch, I talked about DW Griffith, his movie America and the poor performance of movies about the Revolution.  I had fun.  Some of them had opinions about why they don't make many movies about the Revolution and why many of them do poorly at the box office.