Topic: 2nd book

I’m already brainstorming an idea for book #2, “The hitchiking author.”  Sorry family, but i’m hoping to do something like hitchiking, or at least just hopping in a car and driving all around america trying to sell my book.  I really need to do something new that scares me.  Not having a real job doesn’t scare me.  Not having any real assets doesn’t scare me.  Going out w/out a plan is the one thing that makes me a bit nervous, and that’s why i really want to give that a go.

I’ve found someone here at camp who is even inspiring to me.  From Israel, my friend spent a year on a kibbutz, which he describes as the ultimate freedom, followed by 3 miserable years in the army.  His spirtual vision for the world, as he describes it, is just to do good.  He’s into education, the environment, and is studying philosophy, which he enjoys especially because there is nothing material to be gained from studying philosophy.  it’s only purpose for him is to help develop his good virtues.  anyways…this guy is more secure without material possessions than me, more open to risk taking than me, more experienced to things like hitching, and exposed to radical people in both lifestyle and political views.  Being around this person has made me realize that there is still much more than i can do, and that i really need to work this year on finding a community of people who will continue to push my thoughts and actions in a positive direction.

As for camp, today went hiking with my kids, ran a wrestling hobby, played dodgeball, had California night as an evening program where people dressed like surfers, had tiki torches everywhere, ice cream and sorbet, played night beach volleyball, just a really good time, followed by the last 2 hours of listening to the Beatles and having some good discussions about life.  2 more weeks now of camp…my one post-camp plan:

Austin City Limits, Sept 17-19, 3 days, 180 bands, including Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, the Roots, Trey Anastasio from Phish, Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello, Dashboard Confessional, and about 170 other bands i’ve never heard of, plus, it’s in Texas!!!

-Dan

Topic: Dan Speaks

Well…it’s been a while since i’ve written anything, and a really long while since I’ve just written, without any specific purpose except to put down some thoughts.

I’m starting to realize something alarming about myself.  I’m starting to realize that I belong to a very very small group of people.  I belong to a group of people that wants to make things happen, and to a group of people that does make things happen.  And I realize that the difference between the Dan of now, and the Dan of one-year ago, is simply that the Dan of today is a proactive, rather than a passive, person.

Here at the camp I work at, I’m one of only 2 staff members who looks at camp not simply as a place to have fun, but as a place to educate people.  Having spoken to over 100 staff, I’m fortunate to have found this one who is even more passionate than me about exposing children to values and learning.  Here at camp, that is not our expressed mission, and as a result of that, in my opinion, we are complicit in telling children that it is ok to sit and play game boy for hours, that it is ok to go around saying, “This activity is gay,” or “This food fuckin’ sucks,” to piss on another kids sleeping bag, to steal kids food to the point that they cry.  Do we at camp want these things to happen.  Of course not.  Do we discipline and talk to kids when they do.  Of course, as much as possible.  But except for my one friend, who happens to be Israeli, nobody seems alarmed that these things do occur.

To us…it’s evident that it’s not the children who are bad, it’s the environment in which they’ve been raised.  I’ve heard stories of parents sending their children to camp because they can’ t handle them at home, parents who have told their children that they were a mistake, parents who think camp is a good place to let kids run wild and not have to be on ADD medication, only to welcome them home with new doses of meds in time for the school year.  I’ve had campers complain that ADD meds dulls them, makes them tired and cranky.  I’ve had another camper tell me his ADHA medicine does nothing, and he gets in as much trouble at home as he does here at camp. (This is a camper who humps everything, from boys, to beds, to just about every other inatimate object he can get his hands on).

But it seems it’s only my Israeli friend and me who see the bigger picture problem, the problems of culture and society, and not simply the problem of a few kids.  Another staff member, a former camper turned staff member of mine, mentioned how at morning flag pole, all the previous days sports scores are announced.  “At the end of the summer, I can tell you exactly how the mets and yankees did the last 2 months, but if osama bin laden was caught, i’d have no idea.”

The thing is, i’m not really sure camp in the place for me to change things.  I come here for a holiday as much as the kids do.  To make friends, swim, chase squirrels around bunks, hide from skunks at nighttime, sing in the dining hall with about 400 other people.  Although my camp, and i’m sure many others, can do a great service by making their programs more educational, without sacraficing the fun, it is the months of sept. – june that i will be working to fix.

I purchased 15 copies of my book, and they’re all being read by staff.  Today, upon request, I’m purchasing 15 more.  People are interested in reading College Daze because i’m their friend, true, but also because of the message i’m trying to get across.  One staff member was giving me feedback about my book.  He’s only 18, but was talking to me about introductions, what they should and shouldn’t have.  Like most writers, I didn’t overly think about writing rules, I just wrote.  I suddenly, the importance of that hit home.  My whole introduction is a slap in the face to what introductions “should be.”  My whole book is intended to be a critique of a culture that tells us what “should be,” instead of allowing us to make those decisions for ourselves.  

I tried to structure my book in a way that it is protected from criticism of the type, “This wasn’t good/ That wasn’t good.”  I tried to structure it in a way that someone can come and say to me, I think you could’ve improved this in this way.  Or, I was confused here, can you clarify your point.  Or, I disagree with this, would you consider this as well?”  These are the types of comments that will help me, and these are the comments that will help in any situation or organization. 

What else…thoughts, thoughts, thoughts.  I’ve been becoming good friends with a new staff member in training, entering his sr. year of high school.  He attends a quaker school, but says it’s a place i need to see. Every week, they spend one hour where the whole school sits in silence and reflects.  It’s what I like to think of as holistic, but i think there must be a better word that doesn’t have the connotation of hippy or weird attached to it.  He raves about his school, and through his practical internships with radio stations, he’s looking forward to college for a specific reason, something i know a majority of freshman don’t have.

Today I have a day off from work, and while most staff are off to Philly for the day, (6 hours of travel, ugh)…i’m just relaxing at camp, and will use the day to start planning the next phase of this project.  With a few minor adjustments, the book will be ready for all the public, although even the rough draft I have had published for camp seems to be interesting people.

From here, it’s on to Washington University in St. Louis, the school ranked #9 in all of America by the US News College Rankings, ranked even or ahead of Dartmouth, Cornell, U of Chicago, Columbia, and Northwestern to name a few. (In my book, I highlight a NYT article that shows how the ranking reflects money, not quality of education).

Anyways…it is this university that I graduated from, and it is this university that I intend to sell my books and my ideas at.  It is this university that I will challenge to be reflective and to be open to its faults in order to improve.  It is not my intention to embarass the university which i did have an embarassing educational experience at, but, it is in an effort to improve the university that I try to expose it for what it is, and what it has done to me, and what i know it does to many. 

If the university cooperates, and professors, students, and admin. somehow come together, and begin to constructively fix some of its problems (dull lectures, unmotivated students, lack of a real world education…) than I will know I have done my job.  And…if I am somehow met with resistance.  If I find that the school doesn’t want me to sell my book or my ideas.  If I find that the school has too much red tape to make anything change.  If I find that the Chancellor and the other people who help set the direction of the university are not interested in listening to a 23-year old, and would rather let this type of count-down-the-minutes till the end of class education continue for hundreds of its students, then you will be the first to hear it on this site, and perhaps in a second, and more embarrassing book for the university.

I also hope to stick around St. Louis until Oct., when Wash U. hosts one of this year’s presidential debates.  While I am only political in the sense that I would prefer someone other than Bush to run our government the next 4 years, my purpose is not political.  After after watching Fahrenheit 9/11 and thinking to myself, we’re as backwards a country as we considered Iraq to be if we vote Bush back into office, I realized that we all focus too much of our attention to politics, when even the most passionate people can barely make a dent in the system.  However, and this is to be tested, I believe education is a system that can, should, and needs to be dented.  It needs to be improved, and by improving education, we’ll see people fixing the problems we ordinarily expected our politicians to do.  We’ll see education improving because that’s something we can fix without looking up to politicians.  We’ll see greater services done to the elderly and poor, because our students will be more exposed to these populations, and will grow to be more compassionate towards them.  We will see more people go into jobs to help the environment, or people abroad, because we won’t have an educational system that says, “grades, college, degree, resume, jobs, money,” but instead an educational system that says, “freedom, learning, travel, compassion, service, development, and reflection.”

It seems I can write another book right now…and that’s another goal of mine.  After St. Louis, I’m hoping to get myself out to San Francisco to meet an editor for a book publisher to see if I can’t get some funds to work on a second book.  If anyone else knows of ways to get funding for writing, please let me know.  I’d like to write about different people and the lives they live in an effort to expose people to different jobs and lifestyles that we’re never told about and therefor never pursue.  I’d like to write this book while hitchiking around America, as a way to spice up my own experience.  Anyways…that’s still down the road a bit.

And my hero, Lance Armstrong, is about to win his record-breaking 6th Tour de France.  From death bed to champion, congratulations!!!

Thanks for tuning in to my mental ramblings.  Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, and it’s not as wet as it has been here the last 2 weeks.

Cheers (People actually make fun of me here and call me a foreigner.  I say cheers, “I reckon,” “as well” I have a sleeping bag instead of a blanket, brough enough clothing for 2 shelves, instead of 2 cubbies as all the Americans and I used to do, I’m the only American on the ropes course/outdoor adventure team, and i do throw in a weird mixture of a South African/English accent on certain words.  And…after telling people about my lifestyle this past year and upcoming, travelling, non-traditional jobs, living thiftly, they all agree, I live life like a foreigner).

-Dan

And I leave you w/ an optimistic essay posted in the NYT college section:

A New Kind of Politics

By JED IPSEN

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In College • College Front Page • Students • Faculty • Presidential Perspectives • Student Perspectives • Study Abroad • American Democracy Project • Leadership for Learning The New York Times News in Education brings you the latest News, Travel Features and Resources for International Learning

e hear it over and over, like a broken record. Young people are politically apathetic and civically disengaged. Startlingly few of us vote in any given election and fewer of us participate in other areas of politics. The apathy charge is like the “big lie” — repeat it enough times and people believe it.

This generation is not apathetic. In fact, we volunteer in record numbers. We are dedicated to helping the homeless, feeding the hungry and caring for the sick. Why does a generation so committed to volunteer service recoil at the prospect of political involvement? Simply put, this generation of Americans believes that it can best make a difference through these individual acts of volunteerism, rather than wade in murkier political waters. But with our pressing problems both at home and abroad, we need this generation’s best and brightest to bridge this service gap by entering the public arena and shaping policy.

Here’s our challenge: we must prove to this generation that there can be workable political solutions, put forth by all parties and viewpoints, for the significant problems that we face. Our generation overwhelmingly rejects the current style of politics as a contact sport. We do not want to “crossfire” and we do not want to play “gotcha.”

So here’s what we are doing: we are reshaping the way our generation looks at politics. Just as we have created our own music, clothing and culture, we must create a new politics that speaks to our generation. Only then will we be able to bridge this service gap to solve the serious problems we face.

On campuses across the country, we are building a movement that will unite this dynamic generation around a commitment to idealistic political leadership. We are finding that our peers want to be engaged in a politics that focuses on solving problems. This generation wants a politics that is idealistic, placing the public interest above self or partisan interest. This generation believes in political courage, standing up for what we believe in. And more than ever before, this generation believes in a politics that is dynamic, moving fluidly from the soup kitchens to the senate, from the boardrooms to the block.

At our universities, we are part of a Corps of “Campus Catalysts” that are uniting the best and brightest potential leaders of our generation around this call to service. This student-led movement is following in the great American tradition of movements ignited and led by the idealism of young people, this time taking advantage of the electronic web that binds us together. No longer will we allow politics to ignore us, decisions to be made without us and candidates and media to patronize us. We are not angry. Rather, we are idealistic and focused.

From Wisconsin to California and Massachusetts to Texas, young people are taking action to resolve the problems facing our generation. We are forming organizations, building broad coalitions and running trainings to focus our idealism with the kind of professionalism it takes to make a measurable difference.

Students at UC-Berkeley are joining with San Francisco public schools to bring politics directly to people and bridge this service gap. At the University of Wisconsin, students are pledging to create higher standards for their elected leaders and holding them accountable. Students formed a nonpartisan political coalition at Cornell and are raising the level of campus debate. We are building partnerships with community leaders in San Antonio and starting a leadership forum at the George Washington University. And we are creating courses at Tufts and the University of Pennsylvania to train students to be “united leaders.”

Our work is cut out for us. We cannot simply churn out policy papers or recite truisms; it takes organized action to achieve change. Instead of burying our heads in the sand, we are uniting young people all across America. This generation will not accept a political system that does not speak to us. We are challenging our peers to make the kind of impact nationwide that our generation currently limits to individual acts of service. Show your patriotism, live your idealism and demonstrate your courage. Join us.

 

AND IF YOU NEED MORE INSPIRATION…

The Chicken Soup Group

By MELISSA McFALL

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In College • College Front Page • Students • Faculty • Presidential Perspectives • Student Perspectives • Study Abroad • American Democracy Project • Leadership for Learning The New York Times News in Education brings you the latest News, Travel Features and Resources for International Learning

t is a typical Monday night. Mrs. Sadler is the first one in the library waiting on me to arrive. I don’t begin until 7:30 but it never fails that she is here before time. “Hello, how are you?” she says smiling as she greets me. Just a week ago she had to have cancer removed but she still comes. She feels that it is important to always be there. She hasn’t missed a day.

Mrs. Sadler is one of seven members of my Chicken Soup Group that meets twice a week to discuss literature. This is a project I’m piloting in which I bring together elderly people with vision loss and engage them in lively conversations about literature. It’s called the Chicken Soup Group because I choose selections to read to them out of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series. The Chicken Soup Group began several months ago. From the reports from the aids and nurses at the retirement community, it appears that the Chicken Soup Group has been wildly successful. The elderly are getting involved, are talking a lot, and most importantly are enjoying themselves. They are happy to be with the others and it gives them something to do at night when there is usually a lack of things to do.

Each night when I meet with them I follow a modified lesson plan because that’s what I am trying to practice. To introduce the reading I ask questions. “Have you ever been to Niagara Falls? What did you hear? What did you see? Do you remember anything you felt or smelled?” The responses begin, “I heard the rush of water and the power of the falls.” “I remember going to Niagara falls to bring visitors that had come to see my boss.” These personal responses lead other people to remember other events that have happened in their own lives. This introduction is also a way to get them thinking about what we are going to read about, therefore preparing them to hear the story.

In the middle of reading I often stop. “What do you think the pilot is going to do? Do you think he is going to let the dog on the plane? What would you do in this situation?” The elderly make guesses. “I think he is going to let the dog on the plane. That’s what I would do.” Some agree that this is their prediction too. This is not always the case. Everyone’s opinions are heard and everyone is involved.

After the reading, I ask, “What are you thinking?” This prompt elicits a flood of replies. They tell personal stories related to the story read, or things that the story reminds them of. One elder told me, “You have drawn out memories that I haven’t thought of in a very long time.” And that’s the purpose, to stimulate their minds and get them thinking and talking.

I believe this project has made a difference in my life and the lives of the elderly with whom I work with. I have been able to practice reading aloud and leading group discussions — part of the skills of becoming a good teacher. I have learned about the history of our country from the point of view of people that were alive during that time. I also have learned about the wonderful and incredible lives of the people with whom I work with.

I believe the Chicken Soup Group also has a positive impact on the elderly. Clinical studies show if senior adults get depressed, lonely or isolated, they are more likely to become ill and not function as well. Also I have noticed, many elderly do not have people that come and visit them and are not appreciated for what they can do. They begin to believe that life has little meaning. Like all people, the elderly need to have a sense of purpose and belonging. They need to feel wanted and needed. When I began the Chicken Soup Group eleven weeks ago, I asked these seven men and women to help me learn to be a better teacher by allowing me to practice on them. During the Chicken Soup evening, the seniors enthusiastically express how they feel and give me feedback on my teaching. And when the sessions are over they seem to be uplifted – an hour of lively engagement. One particular woman has told me often, “This is wonderful. I could spend another hour doing this.” Overall I’m trying to improve the quality of life of the elderly through this program. I know that without the people that came before me, I would not have the luxury of getting to attend college to become a teacher. This project, the Chicken Soup Group, is a way I can give back to the community that has given so much to me.

I’M 23 TODAY!!!

What did I get paid for today?  Meeting parents.  Eating bbq lunch.  Seeing old friends and campers back at camp for the day.  Playing in a campwide water fight, playing frisbee in the rain, and going mudsliding.  Dressing up as a caveman, covered in mud, w/ animal bones covered in red paint around my neck, for the evening program, all camp masquerade ball. 

-dan

Topic: Free education

Well…i’m into my 3rd week at summer camp, and, as I’ve realized post-college, the best education is just life experience.  So…what have i learned, thought about while at camp?

Kids are obsessed with video games.  I have one camper who you can’t even pry his new game boy out of his sleeping hands.  They take it to meals, to activities, and play it while we’re trying to tell the campers what’s going on.  These games are ostricizing certain kids from the others, and making them anti-social.  I’m not calling for any radical measures, just noting that the behaviors of our most impressionable people, children, is greatly affected by video games. 

gotta go…people need computer, more updates and thoughts soon

-dan

Topic: Fahrenheit 9/11

Well…today I had a day off from camp, and took the opportunity to see Michael Moore’s movie.  It was everything i thought it would be, and had been looking forward to for months.  Some things shocked me, especially the footage that would normally never be shown to the public. 

I left not feeling somber, depressed, or overly serious as most people said they felt.  But optimistic.  Optimistic that one movie can change things, that one man can change things.  Optimistic that the follies of Bush will never be repeated by any future president.  At heart, I’m not a political person.  Part of my book argues that to improve society, we do need strong political leaders, but at the end of the day, it’s the people, our culture and society that matters most, and that’s what needs changing.  Picked up a great magazine called Adbusters, an alternative magazine that takes a pretty extreme approach in showing some of the ills of our culture today.  I’m sure most people who read my thoughts still think i’m pretty out there, but i’m starting to believe that all that i’m talking about will soon become mainstream.  All my ranting about Michael Moore the past few months, now he’s on the cover of Time.  To me, this is exciting stuff.

I’m working w/ my friend Paul to design a professional cover for my book, and despite putting my book on hold for the summer, i just had my dad e-mail it to me so i can work on it here in my off periods.  Still not sure what i’ll do after camp.  Watching the movie today, and remembering that my college and one of the focuses of my book, Wash U, is hosting one of the debates, made me think I could spend sept. and oct. in St. Louis and really get my book rolling, and start to find a political voice as well.

Camp is good.  Went to a baseball game for 4th of July, been running kids on the zipline and climbing wall all week, dressed up as a clown for a carnival last week, coached a soccer game.  It’s hard to describe camp, but it’s something that needs to be experienced to be understood fully i think. 

All for now.  Here’s to Lance going for his 6th tour win!!!

-Dan