Capture Your Reader's Attention

In my diary of a single winter I have tried to preserve unity.   Everything described took place while I was watching it, but I do not believe that honest observation is enough.  The emotions and behavior of the watcher are also facts, and they must be truthfully recorded.
--The Peregrine by J.A. BAKER

The more I go to visit my 3rd and 4thgrade class in San Francisco I get the feeling that the idea of being a schoolteacher is really for ‘me’.   I enjoy it so much.   The children are so well-behaved and I bring something new to them that their regular teacher does not.   I brought postcards one day for each of them with ideas of what to write on their respective postcard.   I said, “Simply write something that happened in your day today or write about a TV program you watched or a place you wish to visit or about the image on your postcard and what it means to you.  You can write about anything.”   Another time I explained how I worked for Yellow Page Advertising and how the concept of an advertisement requires copy, layout and design.  
"The copy,” I explained, “is what we write in an advertisement.   It can be as simple as three words or two words like 'GOT MILK' but it has to capture your reader’s attention.   The copy portion of an advertisement is the important aspect of writing.   The layout is the positioning of everything and the design is the art or photos used.”
As I explained about copy, layout and design they were all so fascinated.   I know I’m going to miss my visits to them on Thursday mornings.

March 26, 1989I went to visit mom's house on EASTER SUNDAY and Holly and Ashley were already there.   I took pictures of Holly.   She’s so happy.   She recently discovered how to ride the choo choo train.

Soon the other two (Lauren and Leigh) arrived.  They were all dressed in their pretty EASTER outfits.  Mom had bought Easter baskets for Ashley and Lauren.   Leigh and Holly were too little to know what was going on, so they didn’t get Easter baskets (just candy).I helped to find a good hiding place for the baskets but it was easy enough for Ashley and Lauren to find them.   I gave them “you’re getting warmer” hints.   I’m sure that helped.

They all looked so cute together.  I managed to get them all positioned on mom’s love seat sofa for a group photo.   They were clearly in happy mode.   It made me happy to see them this way.   It’s nice when everyone is getting along, having a good time.

PHOTO:  Easter Sunday - Lauren, Ashley, Leigh, Holly ARMIJO The EASTER Sunday festivities ended almost as quickly as they'd started and soon Lauren and Leigh returned home to Castro Valley.  Helen awoke from her nap and a bit of television was observed and then it was time to go.
It was a busy time for me.   My Monday night class at the University of San Francisco was beginning to heat up.   I took excellent notes and I was learning a lot.   I liked sitting in the back of the class.   I was able to get a complete overview of everyone.  It was also a good place to hide and observe.   My two courses were HUMAN SEXUALITY and COUNSELING 101.
In my HUMAN SEXUALITY class, my professor, wrote a bar chart on the chalkboard.   He explained, "Everyone's sexuality is different.   If you mark one end of the bar chart as completely heterosexual and the other end of the bar chart completely homosexual you will find that we ALL fall somewhere in between the bar."  I tried to decipher where I would mark my status.   I wondered.There was nothing more exciting than to climb the rattan rope ladder into a high tree and hide yourself in the green foliage, for hours.
--THE TEN THOUSAND THINGS by Maria Dermout