Magic Fingers
Writing is a magic trick.
To stay free, to relieve pressure.
As the heart wanders,
letters,
words,
sentences,
and paragraphs
transform into art.
Writing teaches me to be
indestructible.
A Past Time
Inside the “Valley of Death” known as Sangin, Afghanistan during a time the war was at its peak in 2010. The days and weeks fly by like the RPGs screaming at hyper-speed over our heads. Gunfights at their highest, in the middle of a hunting season, trying to kill as many Taliban fighters as possible.
Slowly piercing my skin and entering my veins with a syringe filled with the blood of our enemies. War becoming the gateway drug.
Recognizing whoever steps into a war zone, never steps out without sacrificing a part of themselves.
War still leaves me delusional and on the verge of a psychotic break even thirteen years later.
Compost Pile: Philosophy of Teaching
Introduction
As I’m pursuing a master's degree in English with an emphasis on education, I remember how some of my former classmates from high school would have made fun of the idea, and even my inner child raises an eyebrow. My desire to pursue education is fueled by the same passion to endure life it’s not necessarily only about teaching, but more about being able to communicate with the world around me effectively. Growing up, reading and writing were not emphasized in my community and school system, which left me struggling to express myself through written and spoken words. Later in life, I realized the importance of communicating effectively which has lead down this road to help others learn new skillsets no matter the sphere they operate in.
Principles Aid in Learning
As an educator in the field of strength and conditioning my philosophy of teaching is rooted in my experiences both as an athlete and coach. Learning how to apply principles of strength and conditioning as a coach becomes a transformative process that extends past the acquisition of methods and coaching techniques. My coaching and teaching career over the years has shifted focus from a singular way to approach learning, to creating a dynamic and inclusive learning environment that encourages creativity and collaboration. Deep in my heart, I believe that every person I get to educate carries an individuality to them that provides them with strengths, limitations, and unique critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. As the coach and educator, it is my responsibility to provide an environment to foster and identify those abilities to help individuals nurture their full potential.
Respect, Tools, and Value
To promote a respectful and cohesive learning environment, it is essential to establish a universal language for communication among the collective and flourish autonomy simultaneously. Respect unlocks the door that allows for implementing effective learning tools that aid in retaining and applying newly learned skillsets in real-life experiences. This mutual respect among classmates fosters a sense of unity and curiosity toward learning.
Each individual possesses a unique set of skills and tools that can enhance everyone’s learning capabilities around them. As the learning progresses, sharing these tools and values leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation for one another. By creating a safe and secure foundation for expressing oneself, each individual can confidently share their true self and contribute to a positive learning experience for all.
Expectations as a Coach and Educator
I hold high expectations for my athletes and students, but they are always realistic and attainable. I believe in mutual respect and expect it to be reciprocated, rather than a one-sided exchange. I encourage curiosity, engagement in learning, problem-solving, and taking responsibility for their learning and development, just as much as I am committed to doing so. I believe in treating others with kindness and professionalism. This means being approachable, compassionate, and responsive to the needs of every athlete and student, while also recognizing their diverse learning styles, training history, learning history, and life experiences.
To foster a collaborative and valued learning environment, I prioritize building strong relationships with individuals. By learning more about each person, I am better equipped to customize my coaching and teaching methods to align with their unique needs, values, strengths, and limitations. This approach emphasizes the importance of valuing each individual's uniqueness.
Motivations, Objectives, and Theories
My passion as a coach and teacher lies in being a supportive tool for those who are willing to explore new ways of navigating their world, both within and outside of the learning environment and themselves. I strongly believe that learning is a skill that needs to be constantly nurtured and developed. My primary objective is to be a positive and motivating presence for my athletes and students, just as much as they are for me. My goal is to establish a sense of community and connection that will enable everyone to reach new heights in their lives.
To achieve my objectives, I have drawn inspiration from various adult learning theories that have helped me shape my teaching philosophy. The views of Andragogy, Transformative Learning, and Experiential Learning have been instrumental in my teaching methods and styles. I believe that self-directed learning, hands-on experience, reflection, and those "aha" moments are fundamental to the learning process. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, such as autonomy and relevance, are powerful factors that drive individual’s to actively engage in collaborative projects and connect new concepts to real-world scenarios.
Conclusion
As a coach and educator, I believe in empowering and supporting athletes and students to become active, independent, and lifelong learners. My teaching philosophy centers around creating a learning environment that values and respects diversity; fosters collaboration, encourages critical thinking and problem-solving, and promotes innovative thinking. I will continue to apply adult learning theories such as Andragogy, Transformative Learning, and Experiential Learning to facilitate meaningful experiences for those I get to educate. My passion for teaching lies in building a community of self-directed learners who strive to inspire others and embrace the joy of learning, curiosity, compassion, and lifelong learning through autonomy, effort, motivation, and dedication.
References
Boyatzis, R. E., & Kolb, D. A. (1991). Assessing individuality in learning: The learning skills profile. Educational Psychology, 11(3-4), 279-295. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144341910110305
Hamlin, M. D. (2021). Enabling adult learning advantage in online learning environments. Research Anthology on Adult Education and the Development of Lifelong Learners, 735-756. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8598-6.ch037
Merriam, S. B., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2020). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Compost Pile -Lessons Fail
Imagine you taught a lesson and most students did not do well on the assessment. How would you adjust your instruction based on these assessment results?
Reflecting on this question, I am contemplating instances where athletes fell short of their desired accomplishments or failed to achieve their goals. In the realm of human performance, various variables can influence the effectiveness of coaching and the tailored program designed to aid an individual toward their specific objective. Factors such as the individual's external environment, sleep patterns, nutrition, stress management, discipline, adherence, and many more factors can play a significant role.
In situations where a student struggles to understand a lesson and is tested before being fully prepared, they may fail due to not having enough time to fully absorb the information being taught. It was evident from the research that the more the lesson is interactive, the more the learners are engaged/motivated to improve their learning experiences (Munna & Kalam, 2021).
One crucial element is the student's lack of interest in learning, which may result from the teacher's inability to keep them engaged during lessons. This can further hinder the learning process, especially in light of the lesson's environment and the dynamics between the teacher and students.
To enhance the learning capacity of students, it's important to provide them with sufficient time to absorb information. We must acknowledge that students, are like athletes and soldiers, they are humans and not machines. This means we must treat them as such, and understand that all humans come from different environments and communities.
It ultimately depends on the teacher to create an environment that enhances their students' learning abilities. Using various tools and techniques. Teachers can help students retain knowledge and succeed on assessments related to the lesson. It's important to establish a respectful and supportive relationship with students to encourage a lifelong desire for learning and expanding their intelligence.
As educators, it's important to remember that we are not machines but rather human beings. We should strive to cultivate a learning environment that encourages students to think critically and constantly seek out new knowledge. Our goal should be to foster independent thinking and a lifelong passion for learning, rather than simply producing artificial human beings.
GB3
References
Munna, A. S., & Kalam, M. A. (2021). Teaching and learning process to enhance teaching effectiveness: Literature review. International Journal of Humanities and Innovation (IJHI), 4(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.33750/ijhi.v4i1.102
Compost Pile - Music and Learning
One method I find effective for studying or writing is to conduct a 25-minute sprint session with a 5-minute rest period. Recently, I utilized this technique while answering a question posed by our professor in the community forum for school. I got lost with the the music attached below and it was a great feeling. I thought I share with everyone who follows my creative website.
Enjoy!!!
A D.Q Prompt from School
How do technology implementation best practices differ based on learning environment? What best practices apply regardless of learning environment? Explain.
When it comes to incorporating technology in teaching, whether it's in-person or online, the key is to prioritize the human aspect of learning. As teachers, we must understand our students' needs and determine how we can provide them with valuable interactions. However, different teaching methods may offer varying levels of human connection.
Our ultimate goal is to create an environment that fosters a lifelong love for learning. To achieve this, we need to focus on the individual student's human side, including their prior learning experiences, culture, and societal views, and how they respond to compliance and reward.
It is also considered a sacred obligation to learn not for personal benefit but for sharing with the whole community in most Eastern and Indigenous cultures (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, pg 268). Additionally, we must provide a safe space for them to learn and create without any obstacles. This practice can be challenging, as it requires teachers to reflect on their growth and purpose in life to make a meaningful impact on their students.
Throughout this class, I have been viewing it as a means to enhance my current profession with additional information. However, it has opened my eyes to a new level of teaching humans how to learn.
In today's society, with the overflow of information on social media, there is a need for a process and education on how to construct one's learning system. This is a crucial aspect that is currently missing when it comes to learning new skills. We should not fear acquiring new knowledge but rather embrace it.
To me, the difference in the educational experience between face-to-face and online settings is not significantly crazy. Although there is a variation in energy transmitted in a physical location versus apart, both settings utilize tools that serve a significant purpose in facilitating new and interesting connections in learning.
Finally, various interactions within the learning period help build a sense of community among students and peers.
GB3
Reference
Merriam, S. B., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2020). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Story Telling - Project Orange
Here is a chapter from a fiction project that I’ve been working on for a couple of years. I feel super happy with it, how it is going. Please enjoy something different from me. Writing fiction really takes me somewhere different and helps with balancing the chaos in life. Making it that much brighter.
Chapter 10 - Learning Something New
“Hello, Sheriff Joe Speaking.”
Without skipping a beat, “Sheriff Joe, Terry Hickman! I have some information that might help you with the case. Do you have a secure place we can talk?” Terry takes a sip of his coffee.
Sheriff Joe gathers his thoughts, “Can we meet at my place? It might look less suspicious.”
Terry chuckles, “Sure, what time works for you?” Without letting Joe respond, “I can come over now if you have time.”
Joe reaches for his bottle of whiskey, “Sure that would be fine. I will text you my address.” He twists and opens the cap.
Terry replies as he gets up out of his chair, “Sounds great. See you soon,” looking for his truck keys to his red Ford F-150.
“Perfect,” Joe hangs up the phone. Tilts the bottle and watches the brown liquid death fill his glass cup halfway. Joe gets out of his chair and walks over to the window. He unlatches the window seal and lifts it. The fresh air from outside brings life into the office that smelled of cigarettes and whiskey. Joe had been in the office for more than a few hours now going through Bonnie Hickman's files. Joe’s head was foggy and he hoped the fresh air and singing birds would help him reset before chatting with Terry.
Terry was in the CIA and is reaching his fifteen years as an undercover agent. Injecting himself into groups that were plotting against the government. He works counter terrorism both domestic and international. As an agent, Terry was involvement put him and his family at risk leading to him being pulled off the mission and put into protective hiding.
Sheriff Joe's phone vibrates on the desk, a text from Terry. Joe walks back to his desk, he forgot to text Terry the address. Joe quickly types the address and hits send. Terry responds with “ETA of twelve minutes.”
-
Terry pulls into Sheriff Joe’s driveway and parks. He jumps out and slams the door, SMACK!!! Sheriff Joe is standing on the patio smoking a cigarette.
Terry walks towards the patio, “Joe, how are you?”, Joe takes another deep drag of his Newport, Terry does not hesitate, “Thanks for meeting me on such short notice.” Terry extends his arm for a handshake.
Joe reaches out and meets his hand firmly and shakes it, “No problem, thanks for offering up some information.” Sheriff Joe takes an even longer drag and exhales the cigarette smoke out his nose.
Terry waves his hand back and forth breaking up the cloud of smoke in his face, “I won’t lie to you. I have no idea where to start.” Terry steps out of the way of Joe’s cigarette smoke and stands at the top of the patio with him.
Joe, opens up, “This is my first big murder case. The media and everyone in the town is freaking out.” Joe takes another hit from the Newport cigarette. Terry can smell the menthol as he blows the smoke out through his nose.
Terry turns, “Joe that is why I am here.” Terry's attention is broken by the slowness of a white Honda Civic with black-out windows driving by a few meters away from the house, “Do you usually have cars drive by that slow?” Terry turns back to Joe.
Joe leans over, lifts his right boot, and smashes the end of the cigarette. Rolls up the filter and places it in his back pocket, “Yea, it is hard to see addresses around here, so you get the car’s slowly looking for the street number on the homes.”
Terry stuffs his hands in his pockets as if he is missing something, “I must have forgotten my cancer sticks, can I have one of your cigarettes?” Terry pulls out a blue lighter with a clown on it with a red nose and orange hair that’s on both sides of his head and the center was bare-skin.
Joe has a puzzled look on his face and pulls the pack of Newports out of his back pocket. Flips over the lid and tilts it at Terry. Terry pulls a cigarette out, covers the flame from the lighter with his hand, and flicks it on, lighting the cigarette. With his lungs full of smoke, “I know that you are confused and not sure where to start,” he then lets out a big exhale, and the smoke floods out from his nose and mouth. “Joe I believe I know who did this.”
Joe's face is even more noticeable in how confused he is, “What do you mean that you know who did this?” He starts to feel the urge that he needs another drink.
Terry takes another drag from the Newport. “We are in hiding, Joe.” He looks up at the blue sky with little to no clouds around. “Last year I got too deep into a mission I was assigned to.” Terry looks down at the ground, “I was tracking a group called Q.” He looks back at Joe, “They were a domestic terrorist in the eyes of the government.” Terry takes another drag and inhales deeply.
Joe can’t believe what he is hearing. He looks at Terry, “How did they find you?”
Terry clears his throat, “I am not sure.” Terry says with a defeated tone.
Joe's urge for a drink comes on even stronger, “Would you like to come inside and grab some whiskey or coffee?”
Terry gives Joe a small smirk, “I could use both.”
Joe moves towards the front door, and Terry follows behind. Once Terry enters Joe's home he noticed the yellow stains on the blinds and the wallpaper from the cigarette smoke. He sees a few photos on the wall of a young girl in a bathing suit on a tube. There is another one with Joe and her at some kind of formal dance. Joe was in slacks and a black button-up with a silver tie. The young woman had on an all-black dress and her hair was up in a ponytail with a crown around it.
Terry points to the photo. “This you and your daughter?” Taking a closer look.
Joe looks at the photo and smiles, “Yes this was at her high school prom.”
The father in Terry kicks in, “She is a bright young girl, Joe.”
Joe looks at the photo and remembers how much she stressed about her dress and makeup, “Thanks, I try my damnedest.” Joe turns and heads toward the kitchen, “So, Terry tell me more about this Q group?”
Compost Pile - On Art
Writing involves combining letters and numbers that create a prescription to elicit an internal response. With hope and intention, it enhances their quality of life both internally and externally.
Journal - Recharge
Why are Recharge weeks so important?
Devoting a week to enhancing your skills through curiousness, play, practice, and recovery is just as crucial as the weeks dedicated to competition, testing, or anything in between. In fact, it plays an essential role in maximizing the effectiveness of a training program and in life in general.
If you have experience with designing or following strength and conditioning training programs, you may recognize the term "Deload" as a way to indicate a reduction in the overall load and intensity of training. This type of break is often used after a significant physical and psychologically demanding event in one's life or a block of training that can consist of two, three, or four hard weeks of training.
The goal is to balance training objectives and daily activities while prioritizing the rejuvenation and healing of the body and mind. This can be achieved by consuming nutritious foods, staying hydrated, establishing healthy sleep patterns, minimizing stress levels, and letting the mind wander.
To simplify what a recharge week is, it is recommended to reduce the training volume and intensity by 50% from the recent highest week within the current training block. This week or period serves as a recharge and transition phase.
This recharge intention is actually more of a vibe or feeling than just a decrease in stress load and intensity both mentally and physically. You see, within the scope of strength and conditioning, it follows the principles of periodization, which involves managing fatigue between training sessions and lifestyle factors. Known as fatigue management.
This principle has been tested and proven over the years to be quite effective. Managing fatigue is a unique skill that is always evolving. To improve your ability to recover efficiently, it's important to practice and remain curious about finding the right methods for your mind and body.
Compost Pile - Auto-Regulation
2022 Recon Challenge
Auto-regulation is a tool that helps you become more aware of your surroundings both internally and externally. It's important to approach auto-regulation with a sense of individuality, as it requires a feeling of awareness unique to each person. To help you get a sense of how you're feeling before or after a training session, ask yourself these questions:
- Are you excited to train today or feel burned out?
- Do you feel any tightness or soreness in your body?
- Did you meet your performance goals yesterday?
- Are you feeling happy, hungry, and energized?
Auto-regulation helps your mind and body communicate effectively, finding a balance to avoid added stress during tasks or activities. It's important to recognize that everyone experiences the world differently and has unique lifestyles. While auto-regulation can be used to determine energy and exertion output during exercise or tasks, it's not a numerical scale. It's a skill set that's valuable not only in training programs but in everyday life.
Journal - We Are Teachers
First and foremost, learning can happen in almost any environment if the educator or teacher understands that they must be able to recognize the individuals as humans first, then learners second. When it comes to a higher education setting, most learners are either coming directly from high school or have taken a small break from a formal setting of education of learning.
This creates a few issues if the educator or teacher does not pay attention. Everyone in the classroom setting has different life experiences with education in all areas of learning. That can be either formal, non-formal, self-directed, or online (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020). The first step in intentionally personalizing learning comes from understanding and comprehending that their students are humans and come from many life experiences that have built a foundation of learning for them, and it is different for everyone in any educational setting.
A second step would be to find out a bit more about the students in their class and this comes from having personal conversations in a formal and non-formal setting or assessments and questionnaires to help build a better picture of who the human they are teaching. This allows the educator to paint a better picture of the student and their learning style and educational learning history.
The third step would come from being able to show that they are well-organized, knowledgeable, open to learning/listening to their students, and caring (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020).
As an educator, it’s important to recognize that every individual has a unique way of learning. Being able to identify these methods can help in providing effective instruction, both on an individual level and when teaching a group.
One effective way to engage students is through relatable storytelling and the timing of real-life experiences by educators tying what it is they are teaching to their students. Additionally, educators can also demonstrate the skills they are teaching in front of or with students, such as dancing, exercising, or creating art, to provide detailed guidance at a micro level. This approach can enhance students’ understanding and awareness of the nuances of what they are learning, helping them to consume the material.
By taking a low-stress, low-skill approach to learning, individuals can better retain information. This foundation can then be built upon in higher stress or more challenging environments, allowing learners to adapt and improve their abilities to learn.
As educators, it is important to acknowledge that individuals are human beings with emotions, minds, hearts, and feelings. Providing them with the necessary tools to endure higher forms of learning involves recognizing their innate abilities to absorb knowledge.
It is the responsibility of educators to foster growth in higher education for individuals from all backgrounds. This entails providing the necessary nourishment to allow learners to explore their abilities and retain and apply what they have learned to real-life experiences and situations.
Compost Pile
Never let success go to your head, and never let failure get to your heart. - Ziad K. Abdelnour
I heard this insightful quote from a British ultra-runner named Tom Evans during a podcast called “Free Trail.” He spoke of the importance of strengthening one’s mental fortitude while enduring long-duration races. He states he speaks with his Sport Psychologist more than his strength coach and physical therapist.
It is important to note that in order to thrive in life and in these types of endeavors, one’s mental state must be secure.
Our greatest challenge is not to conquer external foes, but to overcome the doubts and fears within ourselves that hinder our progress. If we want, we can possess a multifaceted mind that works in sync with our hearts.
Evans’ words brought back memories of a project I undertook a few years back. The project involved developing mental defenses and offenses to tackle internal struggles.
When experiencing self-doubt and self-sabotage, finding effective strategies for positive self-talk takes self-exploration. However, it is crucial to combat the negative thoughts that potentially lead to feeling defeated. Negative self-talk can be incredibly powerful, turning into the knife centimeters away from slicing an artery; drawing blood leading to quitting and giving up on life. The point is to acknowledge these thoughts but never, ever act on them.
Simple, maybe, but it creates an argument that once that far deep in the hole, it is impossible to get out. Life can be unforgiving, regardless of one’s status. However, we have a special ability to learn and build and gain the strength to combat internal battles.
These mental defenses and offenses don’t need to be complex and complicated. They require simple and practical points of performance for effective behaviors in such instances. To unmask internal wounds brings a heart of purposeful courageous acts that lead to growth and progress.
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Thanks for reading.
GB3 /AIMH
Micro-Essay-Moral Truth
As I aim down the scope of my 240 Gulf machine gun, my heart races and my cheek rests against the buttstock. I try to steady my hand and place the red arrow on the moving dirt bike in the distance. The scorching heat of the afternoon creates waves of heat rising from the ground, turning the landscape into shades of brown. The clear blue sky provides optimal fighting conditions for the Taliban.
I felt sweat trickling down my forehead and onto the buttstock, providing some relief from the scorching heat. I try to steady my index finger on the metal trigger but it is hard with shaking hands preparing to unleash a barrage of bullets. I take a few deep breaths to slow my heart rate down, keeping my focus on the enemy fighter who wore sandals, a pair of binge pants, a dark top, and a black beard that blended into his dark sun-beaten brown skin with a sturdy stature.
It may surprise many to learn that the Taliban fighters were slightly bigger than the Viet Cong fighters, although still smaller than the average American warfighter. It is true as the saying goes, “Never judge a man by his size, but by his heart,” and these fighters certainly carried a fierce will to live and fight. They fought with their heart and soul and showed bravery and determination, no different from the Recon Marines to my left and right.
My eyes squint as they adjust to the sight before me like I'm in a virtual reality game. I scan the individual in front of me, checking for the telltale sign of a rifle strap to his body before deciding whether to pull the trigger or not. It's a decision that weighs heavily on me, both ethically and morally. My heart is now pounding in my throat, my hands start to become tingly, and waves of electrical snakes crawl throughout my body. It meant he was fair game, and he understood the context of the game we both are partaking in.
Recognizing, I hold the power to allow this man to pass or end his life. It's important to acknowledge that if I choose not to take action, it may lead to increased danger for us and a loss of control over the area. The problem with that is it opens the door to an increase in ambushes and improvised explosive devices. Putting us at risk when trying to remain in control of this area of operations.
During these last couple of summer months in Trek Nawa in 2010, Charlie Company and the other platoons of the 1st Recon Battalion built a reputation based on the approach, “Take No Prisoners Mindset,” cause our rules of engagement left our hands free to do what we needed to survive. The homes and villages we occupied for fighting positions and forward operation bases would leave the villagers hiding women and children getting them out of the area. Due to not wanting to be casualties of a war, yet found themselves in the middle of one of the most hostile areas since the Battle of Marjah a few months earlier.
Maybe it was a good thing, all the men to my left and right knew as a collective we were to bring havoc and chaos and that is it. Nothing more, nothing less, play offense from the get-go and be the aggressors. Each one of us foamed at the mouth, as we knew what needed to be accomplished. As a collective, we sought out violence every chance we got.
I find my heartbeat is back in my chest, after taking a few inhales and exhales, the dirt bike begins to speed up. It is now or never. This machine gun was not only for precision shooting, it was also built for moments like these. When I have a Taliban fighter in my crosshairs, riding across a road within six hundred meters with plenty of range to do damage. Now, all I have to do is place a barrage of bullets a few meters ahead of the moving bike.
Inside my mind, it screams, “Don’t Do It,” but I know deep in my heart what is about to happen. It will protect those to my left and right, and continue to carry the reputation that we are, “The Sons of Satan.”
What no one shares about a war story is that it happens so fast.
My teammate who is holding security with me screams, “You Got’em!!!”
In my mind, DID I? It all happened so fast, no more dirt bike, no more human threat. Just smoke from my barrel, brown dust from the brown rocky road. All I felt is the power of the recoil into my shoulder, my finger squeezing the trigger. Did I close my eyes? All I remember was applying the foundation principles of hitting a moving target by placing the barrage of bullets a few meters ahead of this moving object which will eventually drive directly into the bullets.
Writing this story feels unreal, make-believe, like a dream. One that still raises my heart rate with the same tingly shaking hands I felt before pulling the trigger.
Journal -Effort
As I trek through the undulating mountainous terrain, I am struck by the feeling of electric pulses coursing through my legs. The sensation is invigorating, and with each energetic jolt, the weight of fatigue lifts, leaving me feeling weightless and free. This experience serves as a powerful reminder that achieving great adventures requires intentional practice and the ability to push through difficulties. By maintaining a mental state that allows my psychological power to override my physical response to tiredness, I can persevere and achieve my goals.
In the world of writing, it is often said that writers must write every day to hone their craft. While this may work for some, others may benefit from taking breaks to rest and regenerate their skills. It is important to give ourselves space to experience life events and explore different identities, as these experiences can be a source of inspiration and creativity.
Endurance is a topic that I frequently write about, as it is intimately intertwined with our existence. Both require taking action and pushing through difficulties to achieve our goals. The human experience is often described as a journey of endurance, where we must find the strength to overcome obstacles and persist in the face of adversity.
War is also a powerful storytelling experience that leaves audiences questioning the truth behind even the smallest of details. It is a unique opportunity to explore the complexities of the human experience and to share stories that can only be told through personal lived experiences.
From my perspective, the belief that writers must write every day is not a hard and fast rule that applies to everyone. Consistency and a love for writing can come from living a life that energizes us to put pen to paper. Endurance and existence are intertwined, and it is up to us to find the balance that works best for us as individuals.
Compost Pile
I received a text yesterday asking if I was still writing. My answer was settled, but inside my heart fired away like an RPG “FUCK YEA.” It looks a bit different at the moment, deep into my Master's Program. The class I am in right now is on how to build a campaign for social media using the basic foundations of rhetoric techniques and strategies to bring forth an issue that I feel needs to be changed.
I have picked attacking sleep deprivation in the tactical professional landscape and my idea is to help offset these issues by throwing in power naps while in a work window or off time.
Here is a conversation between a classmate and me about the development of this campaign and a little deeper story as to why I choose to attack this issue.
DQ Question:
In "Physical, Cognitive, and Affective: A Three-part Framework for Information Design," Saul Carliner proposes a framework that moves beyond a traditional single audience/single purpose approach to communication (p. 561). Carliner's purpose for the framework is to help communicators develop artifacts that work effectively not just in terms of content, but also usability (p. 570). In your website design, what might some of the physical, cognitive, and affective components be? To what extent do you think these components will help you produce an effective site?
Here is my response to the question
Class,
First off, the way I see Saul Carliner's approach is a specific flow to get information across simply and clearly to affect the user who visits the website and other forms of communication that are used to promote any information that is being shared. A flow is a rhetorical strategy that gives the technical writer or developer a set of processes that allow for the right set-up of information from creation, to introduction, to the main meats and potatoes, to the closing out and finished product. The use of physical, cognitive, and affective reminds me of a similar setup that draws the audience in to take on more information.
"Content + writing style + layout = information design (Carliner, S, 2000)." This is going to be something that I follow when I am using physical to keep information easy to find and follow, not to be congested or overwhelming. With the cognitive frameworks, there will be a clear line between what the issue is and how we as a society can fight and combat sleep deprivation in tactical professionals. Finally, using affective, the main goal will be to motivate the audience to partake in power naps, by using different kinds of research and real-life experiences with short stories from those who are living this lifestyle and how they have found ways to input these power naps into their work and lifestyle, and highlighting how it hasn't caused more stress and has helped relieve the pressure of tiredness and improving overall readiness for their profession.
GB3
References:
Carliner, S. (2000). Physical, cognitive, and affective: A three-part framework for information design. Technical Communication, 47(4), 561-576. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/physical-cognitive-affective-three-part-framework/docview/220957738/se-2
Then came the conversation between my classmate and me. I appreciate that she asked great questions to get me to share more.
Classmate:
Thanks for sharing this, GB3.
I enjoyed reading your post. I believe you are correct and on point. It is so important to avoid information that is congestive and overwhelming to audiences. Keeping content design straightforward and informative rather than busy sends a clear message that the focus is on providing relevant and important information. Fewer distractions mean that you can engage viewers interested in learning more about the actual campaign and product, and the “good physical design lets them find information of interest easily” (Carliner, 2000). I also really like the idea of incorporating “real-life experiences” as you stated. This is something I hope to include in my campaign. The testimonies of others can be a much more powerful resource than providing endless and copious amounts of information.
Will you aim to use current and former client experiences? You mentioned in your previous posts the successes of individuals who have included power naps in their routines, when possible. I can see so much value in your proposal. Is this something that you speak regularly about in the various professions? If so, how is it received by others? Do you notice a greater response from particular sectors versus others? I am curious to know if certain professions apply it more than others.
Thank you for your service!
GB3:
Thank you very much for spending time replying to DQ response, and bringing out great points and questions for me to answer. A clear and simple approach is key and needed when trying to get such complex information across. I've seen it during my time in the military, as well as in my current profession. The most effective training program is the one that comes with the simplest approach with its complexity hidden within the overall program not just in one specific week, training block, or specific session. It goes the same for building out a great and attention-grabbing website, this is what I'll be aiming for with my overall campaign.
I believe I will pull from both the case study and reach out and see if those individuals can provide me a video or written testimony whichever they feel is better for them to get their point across. Of course, I would prefer video but baggers can't be picky. I work with all different types of humans who work in a wide range of the tactical professional landscape and they are always coming to me with their issues and battles, never are they the same as someone else who works in the same profession.
For example, the firefighter who is 34 years old with a wife and kids and has 7 years of experience than the kid who is 28 years old, not married, and just got onto the fire truck. Their capacities for the job are different, and their lifestyles are different outside of the time at the firehouse. The cross-section of sharing experiences and skillsets from other professionals is a conversation had more than most would think. I like to say that we are humans first, and professionals second.
Classmate:
Thanks for responding. There is so much truth in your response regarding the different experiences of individuals, regardless of a shared profession. My brothers are all LEO, and their journeys are not the same. As you mentioned, being in different seasons in life makes a difference. I would venture to state that this would be a universally applied factor based on life experiences, current responsibilities, and personalities.
Securing the testimonies of those who have incorporated your power naps technique is a powerful resource to encourage others about the benefits. Did this technique stem from your personal experiences while in the military or is it an area that you were familiar with before enlistment?
GB3:
Good Morning, and hope you are enjoying a nice cup of coffee this morning while doing school work. Thanks again for replying and getting me to open up more about this campaign. I took this from my time while enlisted. As a recon team once we made it to our hide site - a bush where we hid inside to collect enemy activity - we had different positions that needed to be covered. One of those positions was rest and refit, we had a 30-minute rotation while conducting our priorities of work to keep collecting information and providing security at the same time. During that rest and refit, we would throw in 20-minute cat naps after eating and getting our stuff set up for the next rotation. The reason for this tactic is due to the all-night patrol we did to get into our position. So we would take advantage of this small downtime or white space. The word white space is exactly how I approach getting others to take a power nap. We would look at their day and find empty windows and if possible a time to take a power nap if it was during their work window or even when they are off.
Fast forward to a few years after I got out of the military, and I was dealing with PTSD and TBI issues which were impacting my sleep at night and overall quality of life. As the curious George I am, I ran down the rabbit hole in how to heal and fix these most basic issues and sleep was on the list, which lead me to a book called "The Power of Naps and the Myth of 8 Hours of sleep," by Dr. Nick Littlehanes. He went into the different stages of sleep and how our REM sleep worked, he also shared how we lose our ability to access those deeper stages of sleep as we get older and when chronically under sleep deprivation. I then followed the different behavior changes that the book shared and changed how I viewed sleep, and understood it is a state of being, and it can be done any time and anywhere but needs the human needs to have a routine to disable the mind before bed and a routine to enable the after the night of sleep.
I guess I believe that what we heal within ourselves, we can heal within others.
What school has done for me is help me dig a bit deeper and find a purpose in life and why I enjoy doing what I do for a living.
Journal: No Different
My fingers crave the volume of words giving attention to the writer in this heart of mine, very similar to the craving for volume in vertical gain that strengthens these mountain goat legs of mine feeding my heart.
Writing freely is a gift of time, that gives me a sense of being, no longer a search for meaning in why I write. Very similar to why I enjoy spending hours in the mountains running freely engaging with the monk I am at heart.
A new landscape, a blank screen soon to be filled with these words of mine, tends to be no different than the landscape of mountains that my feet will soon kiss, bounding across Pachamama granting me space to be free.
The antidote to my kryptonite that paralyzes every cell in my body, placing a guillotine choke around my heart, making it even more destructive, and no longer creative, morphing the artist into the boogyman inside of me.
Writing is an act of endurance, no different than life, no different than love, no different than running, or any act that we partake in, fueled by every heartbeat.
Micro-Essay: Name this Place
Sweat falls from the cotton green headband that holds my hair back from getting in my eyes, and flying all over the place, showcasing the thinning that won’t stop as the years go on. I now feel like I know, what it is like to be a woman; that’s a joke, I will never try and make a juxtaposition again like that. The sweat still drips from my forehead splashing onto the hardball road that runs inside this beautiful canyon my feet carry me through - euphoric.
Casting walls towering overhead made of rock and clay bursting with browns and beiges, with green vegetation all around. Made up of trees with dark brown trunks to small brushes housing some of the smallest insects scatter everywhere giving depth and texture.
The sound of running water bounces off the canyon walls into my ears from the creek that runs dry during the summer months to a rushing river with heavy rainfalls during the transition between winter to spring.
Becoming an attraction for all kinds of folks who want to take it such beauty of this brown mud-looking water as it makes its way through the canyon floor giving the surrounding area a change in the environment outside of living in SoCal, a true mountain experience.
A place that burns away your thoughts with the whistling and singing birds all around, playing in harmony with the rushing waters that surge over canyon rocks finding the smallest crook and cranny as it rushes towards the ocean.
Short Story : III
Project Orange: Chapter 9 (Scene 1)
Linda sat down with her friends at the coffee table, with a ball of nerves deep inside her stomach from recognizing the man with the scar under his right eye who stared at the coffee shop from across the street. The noise of her friends joking and laughing about a recent date her friend Charlie had, broke her attention from the man across the street.
Charlie shares how this college boy tried forcing himself on her to have sex, and the girls stop laughing, with shocked looks on their faces, each pupil became a black hole of attention.
Linda drifts off into thought not stunned by Charlie’s story, knowing that she lead him on and then left him with blue balls as a strategy to play hard to get. The screen behind Linda’s forehead cast a scene of the phone calls she received on the drive to the coffee shop of the deep scary voice, “You’re NEXT!” out of her head.
Linda, pushes her chair back, and grabs her purse, interrupting Charlie, turning her attention to Linda, “You leaving already?” tucking her red hair behind her shoulders.
Linda turns to her group of friends, “To be honest, I’m just not all there today,” she said, “I want to head home and take a nap before my shift tonight.” She gets up and shimmy’s her way around the table to give her friends a hug, “I’ll talk with you all later.”
Linda, turns and walks out the exit door, noticing the man isn’t across the street anymore, she exhales a sigh of relief, only to scan the area and find him walking towards her from the crosswalk. His grey peppered hair was still pulled back into a ponytail from the other night and her stomach drop as she knew he was the man from the bar.
Linda rushes to get into the truck. She starts fumbling with her keys and drops them between her feet on the street, reaching down to grab her keys, she looks for his footsteps and he is gone. Her heart speeds ups, beating hard against her chest as if she sprinting eight hundred meters for time.
Scrambling to grab her keys, she hits the unlock button on the key fob of her Ford Ranger door, unlocking the truck door, with a violence of action, she pulls open the latch, and yanks open the door, chucking her purse into the passenger seat. She jumps in and scans left and right with eyes searching for the man with the scar. She inserts the key into the ignition and turns the truck on, pressing down on the clutch and brake simultaneously shifting her truck into reverse.
Without looking behind her, she hits the gas pedal, bolting out of her parking spot into two-way traffic; cars behind her slam on the brakes making a long screeching sound. Linda looks back slamming on the brakes, pressing her right foot down on the gas pedal to propel the truck forward. She speeds down the road driving right past him who now is walking north away from the coffee shop. Her heartbeat is now in her throat and ears, sending vibrations across her nerves.
Thanks for reading this small part of a bigger story and project that I am chipping away at.
Journal: Context
In class at the moment, we are diving into understanding that words that we read or hear may not always be in the context of what the writer intended us to understand.
For example, is a hot dog a sandwich?
Right off the bat, every person that you asked would either say it is or it is not. If it is, then it ends, and no further questions would be asked.
If the person responded with a no, then, the question becomes, what is a hotdog? A taco?
My question would be why does it have to be categorized? The context behind the first question is based around this beef stick that goes between similar ingredients that a tortilla or piece of bread supporting the beef sticks and all of its toppings: mustard, relish, ketchup, onions, cheese, chili.
The context of the original question is a “construct” from another construct of “reality” that’s based on the creation of the hotdog.
If the hot dog was never invented then the question of “is a hot dog a sandwich?” wouldn’t be brought to the presences of our minds.