I FIRST MET Walt Walker when I was a junior at Malone College in Canton, Ohio. I was studying to be a teacher, and the requirements for an Ohio Teaching Certificate demanded I do ten weeks of student teaching. When I checked in at the front … [Read more...] about Walt Walker: How Not to Quit Your Job
Pangor Ban: Not Only Humans Have Souls
THERE’S A FAMOUS cat I discovered from history while teaching the film The Secret of Kells to my Sophomore English class. Centuries ago, an obscure monk wrote songs to his cat, whom he named Pangur Bán. The theme song of the film is well worth a … [Read more...] about Pangor Ban: Not Only Humans Have Souls
John Henry Miller: The Art of Harmonizing Life
He was a science teacher, a man of faith, and a choir director who had a gift for creating rich, musical harmonies IT WAS A Saturday afternoon, and the new School Quartet I was helping to create was practicing in the basement of John Henry Miller’s … [Read more...] about John Henry Miller: The Art of Harmonizing Life
Driving with Joe Overholt
WHEN I THINK back to my childhood, I remember one person who was truly unforgettable. Within our community, Joe Overholt was an authentic individual. He lived a life which broke all the rules. He was a gypsy, a lover of learning, a musician. He … [Read more...] about Driving with Joe Overholt
Chaim Potok: Creating An Emotional Blueprint for Those Who Leave
I WAS STRUGGLING with my decision to leave my Amish-Mennonite world when I first discovered the author Chaim Potok. In the audio/visual section of the Stark County District Library, I spied what would become my favorite novel. My Name Is … [Read more...] about Chaim Potok: Creating An Emotional Blueprint for Those Who Leave
Tom Rickman: How NOT to write a screenplay
RECENTLY, I DISCOVERED I am the same age as Quentin Tarantino. Truly. There are so many similarities between us. For example, the year I turned 50, he turned 50. He used to run a video store, and I used to run to the video store. Before I moved to … [Read more...] about Tom Rickman: How NOT to write a screenplay
