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I live in Stillwater up by Square Lake Park. Long time writer, story teller, author, mendor. I am not a teacher by profession, but have made numerous middle school visits to mentor young writers. I was the Author in Residence at the Marine on St. Croix elementary school for a couple years. For many years I have one of the instructors at young writer conferences (School District Events) at Bethany College Mankato, U of MN Marshall, Anoka Schools, Bethel College Twin Cities. I've also done some adult writing classes at Stillwater and at the White Bear Center for the Arts. I'm one of the judges for the Center for the Arts annual student writing contest. 2022 I had my 4th stroke. I won't let that stop me, but it does slow me down. When I was 7 or 8 my mother sat me down and said, "Michael, you're becoming the kind of little boy that I don't want you to play with." Wow that made me think.
You probably don't know I was suspended, grounded, etc. in kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth and sixth grades. Hey, Patty Flemming - remember being school patrol captains? Rambling now. Because of the stroke I'm now going to focus on memoirs }(fun stories not a life history.) I've always shed the spotlight but now maybe it's time to connect a bit. Nearly every Friday evening for the past 10 years, arount 6 PM my wife and I have dinner at Ingredients Restaurant in White Bear. Say hi if you go there. If you mention "Mike and Jane," the staff will give you at least a smile.
Why so many suspensions in school, is a question I'm frequently asked. Well -- 2nd grade is a good example. It waas spring, a beautiful day and I was in the hallway at school, standing at an open window. Wow, nice fress air, sunshine, all was good. A female classmate came up and stood beside me. She grabbed my baseball cap and sailed out the widow like a Frisbee. She put her hands on her hips and said, "So hat do you think of that!"
Well-- I threw her out the window (low with grass lawn) and said to her, "What do you think of THAT"
Cost me suspension for a week and started me on the path to excellend cursive handwriting. I spent many hours at a chalkboard filling it with "I wil not... I will not...
So, the planned memoirs will document similar life events.
In endind, I have a daughter and two stepsons. They dubbed me "an altertive life form." It was because of some parenting things, like making them sing their arguments."
If one of you were that 2nd grade girl, let me know :)
