Writing Prompt Responses

The Professor - Write about a teacher that has influenced you

Two teachers come to mind. I’ve had influential teachers all through my education, but these are the ones I still somewhat keep in contact with. The first was a high school American history teacher. The second was an English professor at Texas Tech University.

Allen L. Bohnert was my American History teacher, in my junior year of high school. He was a soccer coach, which immediately led me to believe that his class would be a breeze. I was wrong about that. Mr. Bohnert challenged us from day one. He made us think outside of the usual history books. In the days before smart boards and interactive PowerPoint presentations, he would make do with an overhead projector, a laptop projected on a bedsheet hanging from his classroom ceiling, and a VCR. All three pieces of technology were forged together to make an interactive learning experience. I’m not sure if he wrote all his students a letter at the end of the year, but I still have mine. It was his last encouraging word before sending us on to be seniors.

Dr. Jennifer Snead was an Associate Professor of English while I was studying at Texas Tech University. I had her for two classes, Romantics and Alexander Pope. She always said that one of the reasons she accepted the position was because of some of the literary databases the school had access to. That comment alone taught me to look deeper when accepting a position with any company. It is important to always at what a company can offer you in the long run. At the end of my time at TTU, Dr. Snead called me to her office to discuss the future. The truth is, I wasn’t a good student. But, she asked me if I ever considered grad school. I told her had, but mention the grades. She said it’s not always about grades. She said that it is more about what you make of it.

Cleaning - Hey, even writers and creative artists have to do housework sometimes. Write about doing laundry, dishes, and other cleaning activities.

One of my least favorite things to do is cleaning. But, I have three boys who make messes simply by entering the room, so it’s inevitable that I’ll have to at some point.

I’ll pull the laundry basket, or in our case baskets, and do the laundry. It’s a good way to get caught up on a movie or a favorite show without feeling like I’ve wasted an hour or more of my time. The worst part about the laundry is that I’m apparently terrible at knowing who’s shirts belong to who. The boys’ shirts will end up either in the wrong drawer or mixed in with my wife’s graphic t-shirts. Just ask her, she’ll tell you.

The only cleaning I do regularly, inside the house anyway, is the dishes. I hate using paper plates most of the time and if I don’t get the dishes done, then we don’t have enough for the next meal. I found myself at odds with the food storage containers, often never having enough lids or a container that is the right size. These are big problems, I know.

The only cleaning that I actually enjoy, or even look forward to is yard work. It’s one of the few areas of cleaning where I can see the progress as I go. Where there used to be leaves or weeds, there’s now a clean flower bed. The grass is the same way. The areas where I’ve mowed tend to look nicer as I go. It can be quite rewarding. Plus, it’s one of the few sources of real exercise that I truly have these days.

Friendship - Write about being friends with someone.

Friendship is a curious thing. It shows us we are meant to be with someone. Though a lot of is take solace in our solitude, rue life is meant to be spent with other people.

It’s not easy though. Friendship, relationships, they require work. Often times, when on half of a friendship is hurting, the other half is left wondering why. Not every friendship reaches a deep level where we truly understand each other.

What draws us together? Common interests, hobbies, desires, and mutual friends bring us together. We share these things because it can make them richer. We learn more about our interests from each other. We learn more about ourselves from each other.

But what is it about friendship that draws us out of our solitude and towards someone else? It’s an internal conflict. The one side wants to go it alone and carve a path on its own. This side is the adventurer and trailblazer. It doesn’t know where it’s going, but that’s the fun of it. This side is the dreamer. The other side is the side that desires to break free of the solitude. Really, this side is the desire. This side sees that having someone to share it with will it more interesting.