December 8, 2016: Literary Sala Readings

Inspired Teachers of Children and Adults
Frank Thoms and Margaret Nash

By Carole Schor

Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.

— Malala Yousafzai, World’s Youngest Nobel Peace Prize Winner.

Frank Thoms

In this world of troubling times, we look to the next generations to give us hope.  Hope begins in the classroom where children are taught to think, to learn, and to use the gift of education to make the world a better place. For many people in the world today, education is a given, a gift that enables them to see the world as a place of opportunity and inspiration. For others in the world, education is an unrealized dream, a brass ring that is ungrabbable, unreachable. Even for the privileged few for whom education is a given, the truth is there are too few teachers, and even fewer great teachers who inspire hope in students and the world.  Frank Thoms is one of the great teachers whose passion and purpose in life is to teach teachers to be the light that can bring about the great changes possible in the world.

Frank is the author of several books on teaching, his latest being Exciting Classrooms: Practical Information to Ensure Student Success. Frank has been an innovative teacher who has encouraged colleagues, students, parents, and teachers to make changes that will allow all students to succeed. In his latest book, Frank urges all to step up to our rapidly changing world and use the technological advances available today to restructure teaching methods, to take advantage of our media-driven culture, and use it to teach and inspire digitally-wired students. Thoms sees the teaching process as a joint venture between teacher and student where the teacher brings learning to the student and, at the same time, brings the student to the learning. This process demands at least as much listening as talking, a new habit that teachers and principals need to learn.

Margaret Nash

Learning never has to stop. No matter what our age may be, there are still opportunities for growing and learning and improving our lives. Margaret Nash is a life coach and hypnotherapist who brings thirty years of experience to her new book, Rebellious Aging. She calls it a guide for “old hippies” to take control of the later years of their lives and make them productive and purposeful. As an old hippie herself, Margaret had many years of wild living before she settled down to home, family, and career, only to find herself on the other side with one marriage down and one still going strong, children now grown up and on their own, and the end of her successful career, leaving her wondering if there is something missing,  or something more.

She writes of her own experience in crafting a “Hero’s Journey” for the second half of her life and counsels readers to do the same. Find your purpose and soul by taking steps to ensure you will live your later years still embracing your old hippie ideals—adapting them to your new age, to the present world, and to whatever opportunities and possibilities might come your way. Evaluate where you are today honestly. Let go of whatever it is that might be holding you back. Retain what is working for you and what you might treasure from the past. Face your fears, even the fear of growing older. Give up negative emotions, limiting beliefs or bad habits that might be keeping you stuck. Learn your personal Archetypes and look to them for guidance and help. Keep asking yourself questions about what you really desire. Create your perfect life no matter what your old story may be. Manifest the best possible life – it’s never too late!

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No, it’s never too late to begin again. And with excellent teachers like Frank Thoms and Margaret Nash, there will always be a new chance, for youngsters or oldsters. Come and hear them share their wisdom at the December 8 Literary Sala at the Hotel La Aldea on the Ancha at 5 PM. Admission is 50 pesos for members of the Sala and 100 pesos for non-members and includes a complimentary wine reception.

Membership in the Literary Sala supports ­not only the literary life of San Miguel including scholarships for teens and reading projects for children in the campo, it also offers attractive benefits like reading groups, discounts at the monthly author readings, as well as discounts and priority seating at the Annual Writers’ Conference. A Membership Table will be available at the Sala event. It is also possible to obtain information and join online at www.sanmiguelliterarysala.org.