Starting this new endeavor to write 20 minutes a day makes me reflect back to my teaching years. As an adjunct instructor of English, I started each class making my students write for five minutes on their thoughts toward a quote that was written on the board. They could write anything. ANYTHING. Even if it was “blah, blah, blah, this sucks, why is she making us do this? blah, blah, blah” I didn’t care. The point was to write.

When the five minutes was up, each student had to pass their writing to a fellow student to review and edit. This, of course, was to point out that the only way our writing (our voice) has an impact is if it is shared. One never knows if their point is coming across well, if it’s not reviewed.

Finally, the small paragraph filled papers would be handed back to the original writer and they were allotted five minutes to revise their point before I called on people to read out loud their writing.

I now realize they must have found me sadistic!

It’s the second day of this adventure, and all I could think of writing was “blah, blah, blah,” but no one wants to read that. Hell, it’s tedious to even think of writing that word over and over again for twenty minutes. Finding a topic I could readily delve into writing about, and the self inflicted pressure that anyone would read it, is daunting, and may I add a little humiliating to say the least (my students would be appalled at my lack of initiative, or, if they’re reading this, they’re cheering and saying out loud “Ha! See how you like it!”).

Who in this day and age wants to hear what I have to say? Do I have anything to say? Why am I making myself do this?

The answers haven’t yet resolved in my mind, but I know it has to do with education. Not the education that is so readily thought of. I’m not standing or sitting in a formal classroom, telling or being told what to write on or read. Instead, I’m sitting in my room, alone, trying to understand my own thoughts all because a former student posted an accomplishment on Facebook of reading 20 minutes a day for a year back in November. The student became the teacher without even knowing it.

That post made me realize education needs assistance. Like the writing prompts I gave to students, the nudge of another person asking, what are your thoughts on “this”, and then you delve into the adventure. Education comes from sharing and developing ideas. Ideas that are yours, but also others. Education shouldn’t and doesn’t need to be done alone.

So I take my education to the internet, to this blog and its social media platform I am still trying to figure out. If you’re reading this, I have a request. I need help. I need writing prompts! I don’t care if they’re quotes, topics, news headlines, images, stories I’ve told you one time that you want to see on the page, give me anything. Anything that will keep me writing, anything that will give me a challenge, anything that will make me have to think, write, share, and then revise. Give me something to learn.

If you want to help, leave your prompt in the comments to this post. If you think I am sadistic for even thinking a person could/should write for 20 minutes a day, then stay silent. If you’re one of my past students about to leave a prompt, I beg you please don’t make it the writing exercise where I made you describe a Norman Rockwell image and you weren’t allowed to use pronouns or definite articles in your writing.

Let the education commence!