My name is Ron Samul and I am an educator, writer, and journalist. One of the most important parts of my life is using my imagination to tell a story. But it isn’t always easy to write. Sometimes, it very difficult. My passion has always been to find out why people write their stories. In some cases it is because they have to – it is something that has to come out. In other cases, it comes from an interconnection with people and events that are really fascinating and complex.
Some of my writing presentations are based around creating an artifact. Simply stated, we need to go back to making things. There is a value in holding a printed story, or a poem on a card, or a flash fiction postcard. I have also worked with students and classes to create images that create strange maps for things that can’t be mapped or defined with a chart. These are fun and often complicated challenges, but they are very rewarding.
Letter to Humanity was a project that always love to do. It is a simple concept, but it has a very significant impact on the writer. The object is to write a letter to someone who probably won’t get it, someone who passed away, someone who has moved away or just someone who is hanging around your mind. In the end, students always step up to some really amazing and emotional letters to people. I teach the significance in expressing yourself, being truthful, and not worrying about the delivery, but the message.
Writing can be more than just books and term papers to write, in fact, writing can be very complex and experimental. For example, I’ve asked students to create a visual fact sheet of their favorite characters and it is fascinating what they develop and what they think is important about their character. I have created flash fiction stories on Prezi and other story animation software to tell web type stories and connections. Stories are alive and complex. The more we handle them and enhance them, the more likely we are to value them and share them.
This link will take you to a page of concepts that I can teach. This is a good place to consider some ideas and some topics for class. I can create or shape a topic to fit your class and make the experience feel authentic in the class. I live in New London, Connecticut and there are some great historical locations that I can bring to your classroom with the help of technology, videos, and digital tools. Those are also listed at the bottom of the resource page. Please let me know if you are interested in sharing ideas and your vision. I really enjoy the challenge and the connections we can make with your class and students.
For more information about what I am up to check out www.ronsamul.org and my blog We Are the Cirriculum. There are a lot of projects and information there for you to consider.
This post is also available in: Français (French)
