One final paragraph of advice: Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am, a reluctant enthusiast, a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You Will Outlive the Bastards.

Edward Abbey

Friday, January 30, 2015

Checking In and Journal Prompts

Sean and I have come quite a way since the last post. We finished up our one year in Korea, and even though there are no blog posts to prove it, we kept up the adventuring big time!

We currently reside in the Raleigh area in North Carolina. I have finished up my Master's Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language this past December from Meredith College. I currently teach at a middle school in the area.

Sean is halfway through Law School at NCCU. He is currently focusing his interests in law on Death and Taxes. Like a fish to water, Sean is excelling at Law School!

We currently have four dogs, 8 chickens, a rabbit, and small freshwater fish tank. We actually do want to be farmers now, as our previous posts (before Korea) had suggested. Christmas trees and sunflowers are our crops of interest! Looking forward to future visits to Beechtree Farm to hone our skills :)

Coming back from Korea was a whole new kind of culture shock as we readjusted and wondered if our lives would/ could ever be as interesting... I am here to tell you it can! Being one another's best friend makes everything an adventure!

I plan on using this blog to continue to share in our adventuring. As an English as a Second Language teacher I encourage my students to write and write some more. This blog will be my way of writing and sharing my thoughts, as well as reliving memories by transforming them into text.

Writing for middle school students can be tedious and boring. I collected some writing prompts to get their "brain juices" flowing. If you have more ideas for journal prompts for middle school aged students, please leave me comments below!

Explain your favorite past time and why you enjoy it.

Given the choice would you rather live near the beach or live near the ocean? Explain.

What types of reading materials do you enjoy? Explain.

What single experience do you think every human being should have, and without it their life would not be complete? Explain.

Are robots a blessing or a curse to the labor force? Explain.

Do you believe that it is the responsibility of the young to provide financial security to the elderly? Why or why not?

America has many regional foods. What food would you recommend to a traveler who wanted to experience Southern food? Explain.

What would you place in a time capsule to allow the people 2,000 years from now understand what a middle school student was like in the year 2015?

If the human life span were increased to 200 years old, what would you expect to change? Explain.

Would you like to live in a big city? Explain.

Everyone has a favorite holiday. Before you begin writing, think about which is your favorite holiday and why. Now write to explain which holiday is your favorite.

A pet peeve is a particular source of annoyance or irritation. Every person seems to have one. Think about a pet peeve you have. Now write to explain your pet peeve and why it is a source of annoyance or irritation.


Write about your favorite childhood toy.

What would you do if you woke up one morning to find yourself invisible?

What would you do if you were able to communicate with animals?

Write a list of at least 50 things that make you feel good.

Invent a monster and describe it.  Tell where it lives, what it eats, and what it does.

If you were ruler of the world, what things would you banish absolutely for all time (rain on weekends, eggplant, and so forth)?  Make a list.  Use your imagination.

Begin a list of questions that you'd like to have answered.  They may be about the future or the past.

What's, if anything, would you be willing to fight or even die for?  Explain your answer.

Is there a machine you feel you could not live without?  Explain.

What would you pack in your suitcase if you could not go home again?

What if you were named principal for the week?  What would you do?

Would you rather have a brother or sister? Why?

If you had three wishes, what would they be?  (Do not ask for three more wishes)

Imagine yourself as a teacher.  What type of student would you like to teach and why?

Describe the one thing that gives you the most comfort.

Describe the most difficult thing about being your age.

Describe your dream house.

What would be your ideal job when you grow up?  Explain.

What is your definition of success?



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