Writing Your Life:

A New Teaching Adventure Brings Joy

By Mark Nepper

Susan finished reading her story to the group, and she sighed. Then she smiled. A look of satisfaction showed in her eyes. You could tell she was proud of what she had just accomplished.

“I am so happy I am doing this. I want to write these stories down so that I can show them to my children and grandchildren.”

There it is! I thought. That is the exact reason I am doing this.

We all have stories to tell, stories about our life experiences, stories about our friends, stories about our families. Some of those stories encompass the joys of achievement, celebration, milestone moments, and the joy of love. Others detail the harder parts of life, jealousy, betrayal, sadness, loss. Our stories define us.

I wanted to find ways to help senior citizens tell their stories. The genesis of this project arose after a conversation with a colleague, who teaches English at West High School in Madison, Wis. Cindy Neusen and I taught together for 30 years. We developed various writing curriculum initiatives. We sought ways to improve our instruction and enhance engagement of our students. We also commiserated about the difficulties of teaching.

On a beautiful afternoon this past summer, we chatted about her elderly aunt. Cindy calls her aunt regularly, and they take turns telling each other stories. Cindy said, “I wish there was something out there that would help her tap into that inner story teller.”

I pondered Cindy’s comment for several days. Then I went to work. Since I have retired from teaching, I had the time to ponder, to consider options, to take this idea and develop it into a viable possibility I could pitch to various organizations.

I dubbed my proposal “Writing Your Life.”

My vision centered on creating writing workshops for senior citizens. The workshops would focus on narrative and memoir writing. I would run it like a classroom. I planned to teach writing for a different demographic of students than I had worked with throughout my career. But I still planned to teach.

I wanted to create something that would engage participants but also give them usable and meaningful writing strategies to help them better craft their stories. Each session would include teaching a writing strategy and incorporating a group discussion on the topic of the day. In true writing workshop form I also wanted participants to share their writing with others and seek comments and suggestions for improvement. Culmination of the workshop would come through publication of their writing in an anthology.

After developing the pitch, I presented the proposal and two different city entities decided to make Writing Your Life workshops available to their senior members.

Halfway through my second six-week workshop, I am so happy this idea born from a “what if” conversation has become a reality. Each week I develop my plan for the upcoming session, and smile knowing that it will help my students tell their stories.

I expected this experience would fill me with the moments of happiness that always came from teaching a lesson and seeing my students explore and develop new skills they learned.

Participants eagerly listen to the instruction and engage in the lesson. They take notes for later reference. We have robust discussions on writing. Those discussions often delve into philosophical reflection. Then they write. Each 90-minute session usually allows them to write for about half the time. As the session comes to a close, we move to the author’s chair for sharing. In the author’s chair, several different people always volunteer to share their writing.

And, oh, the stories they tell.

One person shared the gut wrenching experience when his family auctioned off all their farming equipment. Another wrote about his Mr. Holland’s Opus moment when his former band students returned for his final concert before retirement. One woman wrote about a trip she took with her dear aunt to explore the family’s heritage in Sicily, Italy. Another woman wrote about a hard lesson she learned regarding the responsibilities that come with any kind of power. One man wrote about the unusual punishment he faced from his father for playing cards as a child during a religious ceremony. His father was angry at how poorly he played, not that he played cards in church.

During each session I get excited to hear what they are writing, the stories they are telling. I get to experience the successful moments of being in a classroom. Part of my joy comes from seeing their pride and excitement because they have written a story from their life.

I have a classroom again.

I am teaching.

Seeing those words makes me happy. Every day since retirement I have missed so much about teaching. Now I have found a way to continue an activity that has brought me so much joy.

When I retired in June of 2020, I hoped to take knowledge I had acquired through my 30-year teaching career and continue sharing that knowledge with others. I wasn’t certain what form that would take. I have found something now, though, that I find meaningful not just for me but also for those who participate.

I feel a sense of fulfillment as I continue contributing to society. I never wanted to be a person who retired and sank into a deep chair and never came up for air again. Now I am pursuing an opportunity that benefits the students in my workshops.

I am teaching again. I have found my way.

Who knew?