Description

I am living proof that the lessons parents impart to their children can have a positive, enduring influence.

As an adolescent, my father asked me to look up ten words a day in the dictionary and write out their meaning in a journal. This was a practice I soon came to thoroughly enjoy, and I did it up until my high school graduation. Thanks to this daily ritual, I developed a life-long love affair with words and reading…and I scored almost a perfect 800 on the Reading & Writing section of my SATs.

Now, we’ll fast forward a couple of decades. In my late forties, I experienced a “dark night of the soul”, and thanks to my upbringing, I turned to words and literature for inspiration.

I began a practice of delving into books of quotations. I discovered that I was not alone in my moment of confusion and perplexity about life. I realized that human nature does not change over time, that philosophers from the B.C. era nailed insights about how we think, feel, and behave in ways that still ring true today. Over the ages, successive new generations have put their own twist on observations about the nature of man, and the “aha” moments, wit, wisdom, and word play continue.

Photography is another passion for me, one that has also grown over time. It allows me to change my perspective, see beauty in the everyday, and “focus” on the moment at hand.

I realized out of my cathartic exercise, I had “downloaded” a wonderful teaching tool. This anthology of quotes accompanied by compelling photos can be used as a daily reader to introduce the world’s literary figures throughout history, and to present concepts like acceptance, balance, choices, compassion, critical thinking, hope, humor, mindfulness, self-reliance, trust, and much, much more.

My suggestion? Build on my dad’s lesson. Invite your learner to write a five-paragraph essay about each photo-quote combo, describing the author quoted, the image featured, and what they both say to him or her. What is the personal interpretation and meaning for them? Foster both their study of literature, and their imagination and ability to reflect!

Download your copy today and inspire your learners’ development of critical thinking, reflection, and understanding of humanities!