RUGator

1. “On the stage he was natural, simple, affecting. ‘Twas only that when he was off was he acting.” Oliver Goldsmith

2. “I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying that I approved of it.” Mark Twain

3. “My parents only had one argument in forty-five years. It lasted forty-three years.” Cathy Ladman

4. “Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others.” Groucho Marx

5. “The gambling known as business looks with austere disfavor upon the business known as gambling.” Ambrose Bierce

I read somewhere that when a plane is in flight, it’s basically off course most of time. But its radar system, knowing its destination, continually makes the proper adjustments to get it back on track and ultimately to where it’s going.

And with us too?

In December of 1994, I was that plane.

In a bookstore, I happened upon “Coaching Football” by Tom Flores and Bob O’Connor. I was going somewhere yet nowhere. In chapter 2, entitled “Why We Play the Game,” there’s a section devoted to an overview of how Homer C. Rice (former Georgia Tech athletic director and college and professional coach) talks about how he went from dirt poverty to those lofty postions. I was intrigued. He discussed the role that football played in his success, how the game taught him to overcome adversity, and how to set goals. I was motivated to reach out to him, so I wrote him a letter.

He responded by sending me a very personal letter and a book that he had written called “The Attitude Technique.” This book became my “radar system” as I, with blind faith, implemented the practices that he used to successfully transform his life. He also mentioned another book which his father had given to him when he was a young boy. That book was called “I Dare You,” by William Danforth (the founder of The Ralston Purina Company). “I Dare You” is about how to live the “Four Square Life” (and if you ever buy any product made by Purina, you’ll notice that the company’s logo is the “four square checkerboard.”) That checkerboard is based on Danforth’s “four square” philosophy for living. After more letter writing to other coaches, I was astonished to discover that many of these same coaches had used Rice’s “Attitude Technique” as part of their team’s overall football program.

Both books and the subsequent correspondence I had with Homer Rice, literally changed my life. Since then, I have purchased multiple copies of “I Dare You” which I give to my students to read on a rotating basis. Every student gets one week to read the book, sign and date it upon completion, and return it to me to pass along to the next pair of students to read.

So “I Dare You.” If not now, when. Remember this: all can, some will, but most won’t. Which group are you in?

According to former Green Bay Packer great, Paul Hourning, there were two “times,” when playing for coach Vince Lombardi.

Regular time vs. “Lombardi Time.”

Regular time was what most people followed.

Lombardi Time was always fifteen minutes earlier. And it was adhered to by winners.

If a Packer meeting was scheduled to begin at 8:00 am, astute players would know to arrive and be ready to go at 7:45 am.

Every time.

http://www.amazon.com/WHEN-PRIDE-STILL-MATTERED-Lombardi/dp/0684844184

“ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS”
- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 10

Before becoming a teacher, I worked as a tax collector for the IRS. Here’s what I learned during those horrible days:

1. Most people have no idea how many people DO NOT pay their taxes. If they did, they’d bail out too.

2. If you’re going to owe money, owe A LOT of money. You can get away with owing a lot of money. Owe a little? You’re screwed.

3. Most Americans have no idea how LITTLE a government agency like the IRS knows/can do/ or will do. They are master illusionists. And for the most part, it’s worked.

Think about this: the new Treasury Secretary, the person responsible for, among other things, enforcing the tax laws, was a tax delinquent himself. Think about it!

And then read/re-read Animal Farm.

Better yet, open your eyes and bear witness to Orwell’s prognostications coming true

I think I know what Chris McCandless was thinking when he stepped out of that pickup truck and into the Alaskan wilderness. Such a fine line.

My kids keep it together for me.

At least that’s my story.

Too chicken to do it on my own. But I can dream, can’t I?

I go back and forth between thinking I’m alone and having lots of company. Perhaps the latter is the thought process I use to justify things.

And I keep coming back here. Keeps me from losing myself into the wild.

That’s what the alchemists were trying to do.

Who were the alchemists?

Do they exist today?

Teaching the book all these years has gotten me asking those questions and more.

Don’t we really suspect that we’re capable of reaching our goals? Otherwise, why would we set them? We know what we want.

Better than anyone.

But the metal must first be fired.

Before it turns to gold.

While no list is definitive, I’ve found success teaching the following books to my seventh and eighth grade students. Just about all of my classes over the years have included students with some sort of Individual Educational Programs (IEP’s).

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Call of the Wild by Jack London

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

The Devil’s Aritmetic by Jane Yolen

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

Short stories by Edgar Allen Poe including: The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, Tell-Tale Heart, The Pit and the Pendulum

…could pull off a sentence like:

I continued my caresses, and, when I prepared to go home, the animal evinced a disposition to accompany me. I permitted it to do so; occasionally stooping and patting it as I proceeded. When it reached the house it domesticated itself at once, and became immediately a great favorite with my wife.–from The Black Cat

I especially get a kick out of the section in bold above.

Instead of simply writing, “the cat decided to follow me home,” he says it in a way which would establish him as one of the great writers in English literature.

I love using Poe’s short stories to teach my students literature. His command of the language and manner in which he seems to be “winking” at his audience as he writes, makes for lively reading and even livelier discussions..

If you have never read Poe, a great place to start is with a story like The Black Cat. Here’s a link to the entire text of this amazing story.

http://www.enotes.com/black-cat-text/the-black-cat

“The Mambo Kings Sing Songs of Love” by Oscar Hijuelos is the book I’d love for you to read. Many people (my students, my kids, and my colleagues) mistakenly believe that because I teach English, I sit around in my smoking robe and slippers by the fire and read book after book while courting my muse… How about a…. no. My muse today was found while cleaning out the cat box (“oh please, daddy! We promise to take care of the kitten…” –you know the rest). I don’t get all that much time to read. Sometimes (a lot of the time), it’s too much of a commitment for me. Plus, I’m sort of a slow reader; don’t want to miss anything and I have the attention span of a cantaloupe. But this is one story I think that all men (woman would enjoy it too) should read. It’s about a man who tastes making it to the top, only to lose his way. It’s about the fantasies we (sports fans) entertain about the fame and fortune that comes with being idolized by the masses. It’s about the vicissitudes of life that beat us down and inspire us to rise above.

“But what does this have to do with sports (this blog, college football, etc)?” If I have to spell it out, then I’ve not done my job as a teacher.

All writers want to be read.

In today’s internet world, we have incredible opportunities to do just that. Even so, I’m always looking for help in increasing my viewership.

I’ve been trying to get “published” since 4th grade when my English teacher told me that I was a good writer. I’m still writing and teaching today, 34 years later.

Here are the FIVE things that I’ve found to be most helpful for increasing viewership. I hope they can help you meet your writing goals. Please add any that you have found to be useful as well. Thanks!:

1. Write and post something daily. PROOFREAD!

2. Tag your items. Learn to use as many relevant tags as you can dig up.

3. Network with other writers. Offer to link their sites to yours and vice-versa.

4. Read

5. Write for yourself. Your audience will find YOU!