If you would like to become a Virtual Mentor, please write to TLASteve@gmail.com and answer the questions in GREEN above.
If I ask adults to go through this process, I should submit myself to the same process of answering these questions.
Since I'm asking you to spend some time to complete this form, I am going to do the same thing.
1. What quotations inspire you?
I like lyrics from musicals (Sound of Music, 1776, The Little Mermaid, Man of La Mancha)
I like "The Impossible Dream" and I've memorized six lines from a poem called Equipment by Edgar Guest. Courage comes form the soul within, the man must furnish the will to win so, figure it out for yourself, my lad, you were born with all that the great have had, with your equipment they all began, get hold of yourself and say, "I can."
2. What books do you like (and why)?
Arthur C. Clarke's Songs of Distant Earth
around page 156 is a word about "ablation" -- a shield of ice is used on the front of a ship to absorb particles that the ship rams into. The Ablative shield eventually wears away
cool word.
I also like a book called The Big Picture (2004 by Dennis Littky) because it redefines the relationship between schol and community. We taxpayers shouldn't assume that teachers and parents have the entire burden of guiding young people to adulthood. There is a place for mentors.
3. What do you recommend for students to study?
I like biographies, magazines and newspapers. A kid can learn a lot from wandering through text and then perhaps the kid will begin asking questions.
4. What do you remember from school that was useful?
I particularly liked it when our classes were visited by strangers. Those experts allowed us to ask them questions.
5. What magazines do you read at least once a year?
Smithsonian, National Geographic, Psychology Today, ASCD Educational Leadership (for teachers), Digital Photography Magazine, National Geographic Explorer, Discovery magazine, Men's Health, Reader's Digest, Sierra Club, National Rifle Association newsletters, ...
6. Can you recommend an article that you found interesting?
There is a fascinating article about the difference between grass-fed beef and corn-fed beef. The article appeared in the July 2012 issue of Psychology Today. I found it amazing that omega-3 fats are so differently distributed in the meat of cows.
7. How did you get your current job?
I kept interviewing until I found a boss who had a vision about what "work" is. He has an idea about how to get through the day and arrive at the end with something accomplished.
If you are inspired to become a virtual mentor, please call me +1 (954) 646 8246 or write to me on SKYPE SteveEnglishTeacher or send me an email TLASteve@gmail.com.