TALK TO EACH OTHER!

My two boys play baseball, and it will not surprise you to know that I am one of those crazy moms who cheers and screams from the stands. I know some of you think baseball is the "B" word (which, by the way, I hope your book reviews are not), but I love it. It is even more fun when I can cheer and scream and go crazy!

I think everything that I yell from the stands makes sense; at least, I hope it does. One season, there was a mom in the stands with me who was always yelling, "TALK TO EACH OTHER!" My son had no idea what she meant by that.

"Hey, Mom," he asked me, "why does Stu's mom always yell that? What are we supposed to be talking about? I thought we were supposed to be watching the game."

He made a good point. I had to think about it for a while, and finally, I told him that I thought she just wanted the boys to be communicating while they were in the outfield. They needed to encourage each other, encourage the pitcher, keep count of the strikes and the outs, and they all needed to know what the play was.

How does that relate to writing? Actually, I want to relate this to our upcoming debate! I want you guys to remember you are a team, and I want you to use this opportunity to talk to each other. Express your thoughts, communicate your viewpoints, and remember this: Everyone deserves to be respected. If you don't agree with another student's view, that's fine. But be respectful.