NCTE/Norman Mailer Writing Award
http://www.ncte.org/awards/student/nmwa (find full details on ncte website)

The Norman Mailer Writers Colony and the National Council of Teachers of English will jointly sponsor the 2010 Norman Mailer High School and College Writing Awards.

Writing Category: Creative Nonfiction
Norman Mailer produced extraordinary works in many genres, including the category of this year’s award: creative nonfiction. Students may submit work in any of the many subgenres of creative nonfiction: memoir or autobiography, essay, literary journalism, profiles of people or places, and so on. Whatever its type, the best work will be true material presented with compelling literary merit.

Winners
One winner in each category will receive a cash award and will be an honored guest at the Colony’s National Award Ceremony in New York City on October 19, 2010. Winners will be notified by mid-September.

Finalists, Semifinalists
Four finalists in each category will be awarded trophies.
Sixteen semifinalists in each category will be awarded certificates.

High School Competition is open to all high school students. Students may submit one or more pieces of writing, maximum 10 single-spaced pages, endorsed by a teacher and released by a parent or guardian. Winner will receive the following:
• Cash award of $5,000
• *Travel and lodging to attend the Colony’s National Award Ceremony
Entries accepted April 1–April 29, 2010, Noon CST

Two-Year College Competition is open to first-and second-year full-time students enrolled in community colleges, junior colleges, and technical colleges. Maximum 15 single-spaced pages. Winner will receive the following:
• Cash award of $5,000
• *Travel and lodging to attend the Colony’s National Award Ceremony
Entries accepted April 1–April 29, 2010, Noon CST

Four-Year College Competition is open to current full-time undergraduate students. Maximum 15 single-spaced pages. Winner will receive the following:
• Cash award of $10,000
• Scholarship to the Norman Mailer Writers Colony during the summer of 2011
• *Travel and lodging to attend the Colony’s National Award Ceremony
Entries accepted April 1–April 29, 2010, Noon CST

*Funding for travel is limited to the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. Canadian and other foreign students are eligible to enter. Outside of the U.S. a $500.00 USD payment toward travel will be allowed. Hotel will be paid as for students in the U.S.

Submission Guidelines:
Entries will be accepted online only and may include one or more pieces of writing. Submissions will be judged as a whole, not as individual writings. Maximum 10 single-spaced pages for high school and maximum 15 single-spaced pages for college entries. Quality is far more important than quantity.

Formatting Guidelines
The writing you upload must include a title, your name, and page numbers within your file. Please use a plain, common, and easily readable font, such as Times New Roman, 11- or 12-point. Accepted file types: .pdf, .doc, .docx, and .txt (maximum file size: 8 megabytes).

How to Apply
Online application form. Limit one entry per person.

High School Competition

Two-Year College Competition

Four-Year College Competition

Judging
Submissions will be read by national panels of teachers and writers of creative nonfiction. They will be judged by how well they achieve several qualities, including the artful treatment of true subject matter; originality; quality of insight, voice, and style; artful arrangement of elements and materials; and overall aesthetic, emotional, or intellectual effect. Finalists selected through this process will be submitted to a distinguished author (or panel of authors) selected by the Norman Mailer Writers Colony, who will choose the winning writers.

Contact Information
Email your questions to nmw@ncte.org

2009 NCTE/Norman Mailer Writing Awards
High School Winner, Finalists, and Semi-finalists. (PDF)

High School Winner: Emily Swanagin, Luna
College Winner, Finalists, and Semi-finalists. (PDF)

College Winner: John Gilmore, Final Cascade
John's piece has been accepted for publication in a forthcoming issue of Creative Nonfiction.

Press Release September 23, 2009 announcing the First Annual Winners of the Norman Mailer High School and College Writing Awards.

Writing Resources
Imagining a Place for Creative Nonfiction, Douglas Hesse

Tucking the Pigeons up Your Sleeve: Ten Personae Teach One Nonfiction Course, Bonnie Sunstein

Additional Resources
Norman Mailer Writers Colony

Most young people start off with a bank account and a few obligations such as rent and their consumable type expenses along with a small paycheck. Wouldn't you agree?

In the "olden days" before parenthood we also were just starting out and had to work from a tight budget that came from our small paycheck.

Back in the day, the best known secret... "The Envelope System!" was once a familiar envelope budgeting system that was popular with most people just embarking on their life journey. Those of us that used the system felt empowered and in control of the new life we were seeking! Our parents had used "The Envelope System" and had done OK with it. Who were we to challenge it? Now we would model ourselves after those spend thrifty parents that had survived the depression. We too would manage just fine in the world of responsibility and managing of our affairs.

Flash forward 25 years and careers have grown and our paychecks have too; children were born and are now seeking their freedom from our secure nest.

But, these children have grown up differently then we did. Technology impacts their world and ours everywhere we look. With the impact of technology in our daily lives and the lives of our children the envelope system has become outdated. Frankly, a little impossible to use since we are virtually a non-cash society where instant pass key cards, debit cards, on-line banking and credit cards are a means to get what we want and to get it fast.

Imagine a scene where you begin to discuss the urgency of teaching your graduating senior to manage their daily, weekly and monthly spending. You spend time talking about money and express to your child how important it is to take control of their money immediately so that they can enjoy a future sprinkled with experiences where career opportunities blur with the joys filled by family and friends. Then help your child picture a goal to acquire money that they have earned and stashed away in the bank and in their investment portfolio. All it takes is deliberate action on their part to make the dream a reality. Everyone is getting excited about such a dream of prosperity and success.

Now, you are excited and begin to pull out paper envelopes to explain the details of how you and the generations before you accomplished a similar goal of personal regiment and the trusty "Envelope System."

Your child is now either laughing hysterically and unable to stop to breathe or they have completely come to the conclusion that you have totally lost it and they need to check you into a psych ward at your county hospital. No way are they going to be caught using some paper envelopes to manage their important financial future. Nor would they want anyone to know you even know about such a system let alone suggested it to them. Now, they are frantically trying to figure out a way to get you to stop trying to teach them anything.

Do not worry! "The Envelope System" has joined the age of technology! Now everything is possible! A software program called Mvelopes has taken "The Envelope System" and turned it into a software program that you can use to help teach your child a tried and true system of keeping on track and out of debt by managing virtual envelopes as they learn to spend and save. And yes, all in "Real Time" and information available with their cell phone. The old message that "Cash is King" is still true today and I can just bet that once your child realizes the value of working hard and earning their own money that they to want to be king of their cash!

Check out this software and make it your mission to empower your kids with tools to help them become successful money managers.
The Mvelopes Online Spending Management System can help you teach your high school graduate to budget money and save more NOW!

A client shared this You Tube clip about educating kids.  A twist on the Public Education point of view....

A humorous monalogue by Sir Ken Robertson and his opinion about the current educational system and the loss of creativity.  A worldwide problem; the loss of creativity in the school system.

Provided by Kim Ashby

Answer the following questions:     YES     NO

Do you skip words or lines when reading?        
Do you reread lines?        
Do you lose your place?        
Are you easily distracted when reading?        
Do you need to take breaks often?        
Do you find it harder to read the longer you read?        
Do you get headaches when you read?        
Do your eyes get red and watery?        
Does reading make you tired?        
Do you blink or squint?        
Do you prefer to read in dim light?        
Do you read close to the page?        
Do you use your finger or other markers?        
Do you get restless, active, or fidgety when reading?        

If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, then you might be experiencing the effects of a perception problem called Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, which can interfere with your reading efficiency. Now, for the first time, there is a simple method Irlen Colored Filters worn as glasses or contact lenses, that can help people overcome this problem quickly and easily.

Copyright © 1991 by Perceptual Development Corp/Helen Irlen.  All rights reserved.
For other self tests including the long test, headache test, light sensitivity test, autism test <a href="http://irlen.com/index.php?s=selftests">click here</a>.

Irlen Syndrom has also been known as Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome.  It is not a problem with the eyes.  It  is a a problem with the brain's ability to process visual information.  Irlen Syndrome can affect many different areas including academic performance, behavior, the ability to sit still, attention and concentration.  Studies suggest that 46% of individuals identified with reading problems, dyslexia, ADD/ADHD an other learning difficulties suffer from Irlen Syndrome and can be helped by the Irlen Method.  This syndrome is often just one more layer of the individuals problems, but the Irlen Method can be a part of the solution.

Some of the symptoms of Irlen Syndrome include light sensitivity, especially to fluorescent lights, headache, eye strain, reading problems, reading comprehension problems, attention and concentration problems, writing problems, depth perception problems, math disabilities, etc.

The Irlen Method provides a unique service for some children and adults who have been identified with reading and learning difficulties, low motivation, attention deficit disorder, discipline problems as well as helping  good readers and gifted students.

The Irlen Method and the efficacy of colored overlays and colored lenses has been the subject of over 100 research studies.  This method has been used for more than 25 years to identify and help people with this specific visual processing problem.  Additionally, the colored overlays are now considered an approved accommodation for standardized tests in many states.

From Andy Cody:  To join in on the discussion locate Andy Cody on FaceBook:  Teachers' Letters to Obama

There continue to be strong indications that our voices are being heard and there is genuine power in our movement. We are now 946 strong, and that is a HUGE number when we actually mobilize to act together. And that is the reason we joined this group, right? So we can act and have our actions make a difference.

We have a big opportunity to have an impact this week. First of all, the Congressional Education and Labor Committee, chaired by George Miller, is beginning the process of rewriting No Child Left Behind. Committee members released a statement that said:

“Today, we’re announcing a bipartisan, open and transparent effort to rewrite No Child Left Behind – a law that we all agree is in need of major reform. It will start with a series of hearings in the coming weeks to explore the challenges and opportunities ahead as we work to ensure an excellent education is available to every student in America. With a real commitment to innovation, we invite all stakeholders who share our serious interest in building a world-class education system to email us their suggestions.”

Read more »

The Winter Olympics are only weeks away, bringing with it the excitement of medal counts and new household heroes. For these amazing athletes, Olympic gold will cement their legacies. But the competitors are so close in talent and skill that the difference between greatness and going home empty handed can be measured in tenths and hundredths of seconds. So what is it that sets the elite athlete apart from the competition? It turns out they are the same as those which separate top-tier students from the very good. Hard work and dedication certainly play a role but coaching, game-planning, and knowing what and how to train to maximize potential are what push students and athletes alike to the next level.

Creative Tutors founder, Jan Van Blarcum, Ph.D. explains what it takes to go from great to good in the academic arena. “Many times a C student can become a B student by putting in extra hours of study and a B student may become a B+ student by working even more diligently. But at a certain point the rate of return on simply working hard will plateau and additional study and stress will not help to break through that ceiling. This is when a student needs to work smart, and with the expertise and concentrated focus that a tutor brings, the sky is the limit.”

Read more »