Writing off the Top of My Head - Life on the Linguistics Edge

Fictional Account of the Developing a System to Address Failing Schools in the 1980s

Gorgeous Charlestown, a city of bustling immigrants. The climate is cool all year round because of persistent fog caused by upwelling in the Pacific Ocean. This town is where many families cohabitate in prominent Victorians that line the residential neighborhoods. A bustling city center is crime-ridden, yet city leaders attempt to keep order so businesses can sell their goods and services.

Michael Sholfield just left teaching school and was hired at Madison Middle School. He’s a strapping six-foot-tall guy with a red beard. As a meticulous organizer, he aims to enter a rough school to emphasize organizational skills. With impeccable English skills, he looks at language in terms of words, phrases, and paragraphs as the building blocks of an organized mind.

“It’s simple,” he often tells friends about being a teacher. “You begin with points one, two, and three and then write about each as if you were organizing your closet.”

Michael takes on his first job as a public school teacher, ente…