Content vs. piff and drivel

Today I sat in on a webinar sponsored by Circe Institute, taught by my cyber-friend Renee Mathis.  Renee was an apprentice at Circe, and helped with the revision of their writing program, Lost Tools of Writing. I have used this excellent material in my teaching for several years now, ever since I attended a workshop with Andrew Kern several years ago in Colorado.  If you get a chance to hear someone from Circe speak, do it!  They are changing the way many of us approach the teaching of writing!

Renee reminded me today (without intending it, I am sure) that the wisdom of the ancients is still wise.  As she spoke about the canons of rhetoric (especially invention, arrangement, and elocution), I was reminded that there is nothing new under the sun, and history gives us much to be grateful for.  I'm so glad i don't have to reinvent that wheel.  And in an opposite by related vein., I have been pondering the piff and drivel that passes for creative writing instruction in our day.  My own learning was piff and drivel until I had to teach my own children, and I wanted something better for them. Give me the meat of the progymnasmata any day! When we have the opportunity to teach our students how to think and organize their thoughts and communicate them to others, why in the world would I settle for simply encouraging them to vent their feelings? No wonder that as a culture we are so morally bankrupt.  Our citizenry lacks vocabulary, much less concepts, ideas, and organizational strategies, to discuss anything on a civil and deep level.   Sometimes I despair.

But then, I remember that God has entrusted me with 46 precious students this year-- students I am guiding and influencing.  Some of them will rebel, and some will dismiss, but others will be moved and changed-- or at least that is my prayer.  So instead of whining about the decay of this weary world, I guess I'll do a little prep work to challenge a few souls in my corner of the world next week.