Questions Are Answers

(Thanks to Tammy B‘s post today for inspiration.)

Austin Kleon ‘s newsletter, a gem you should hoard when you discover it, takes the “10 Things Worth Sharing” structure and presents it shining. I discovered it, and him, through Tammy B, too. (This community has widened my world!)

In his March 4 edition, he shared:

1. Clive Thompson made an online tool that lets you see only the questions in a piece of writing. So, of course, I had to feed it the text of my books. Here are the results.

I checked it out, and it’s absolutely fascinating. Today Tammy writes “Three Questions to Change My Perspective”:

What am I devoted to today? I am devoted today, and always, to maintaining a level of physical activity. If your heart stops beating, you’re dead. I will never forget this quip made by our phys ed teacher at a Back to School Night. It drew some chuckles, and some sideways looks, but it has stuck with me. Keeping my heart healthy—and beating—to the best of my ability captures my devotion. I am devoted to a reading and writing practice that draws me to my notebook and to the stack of to-be-reads on my bedside table. (My cat wishes I would make more headway; he struggles to navigate the ever-growing pile!)

What am I curious about today? I am curious about how to best present a poster session at my professional organization’s Spring Conference. I have a difficult time containing the wealth of material I want to share within the limited time I have. As soon as I begin, I can easily digress. I am wondering how I can use the best of my professional development experiences as examples for myself. Oh, I am curious about so many things. That’s my adjective: CURIOUS! (I am attending a professional development session with Brett Vogelsinger of Moving Writers this afternoon, using poetry pauses, curious about what I’ll learn and curious about how it might help me with my presentation: curiosity squared!

Brett’s page on Moving Writers

What if we/I _______? This last one, the possibility question, leads in a personal direction today. What if I choose not to be a substitute teacher in the upcoming year? What if I leave the classroom behind? I consider so many “What if…” questions on a daily basis. Don’t we all? What if I’m not asking the right questions? I’ll end with that—and keep asking.

What questions do you have?