A Sixth Grader’s Take on My Life By LISA BELKIN One of my favorite parts of this job is being invited to speak at schools. I spent time at the Masters School earlier this year, with a group of sixth graders who were learning to interview as part of their writing curriculum. Turns out I was their interview subject for the day, and one student, Isis Bruno, wrote her final project based on that group interview. What does this have to do with parenting? Only that it takes a village, and I am honored to have the chance to be that for other parents’ children once in a while. Here is what Isis wrote about me for her class, just as she wrote it. (She kindly made me younger than I am; in fact I have been writing for the Times for more than 20 years.) Her guiding question was whether children her age should already know what they want to be when they grow up, and from where I sit she got the answer just right. AN INTERVIEW WITH LISA BELKIN BY ISIS BRUNO Lisa Belkin is a New York Times writer and author. She is known for her advice column and stories from Tales from the Times. From writing a family newspaper in crayon as a young child, to going on a wild ride as a writer Ms. Belkin will show you that you don’t have to necessarily know what you want to be as a child to be successful. Prior to her writing career Ms. Belkin graduated from Princeton University not knowing she would be a writer. She didn’t major in creative writing, but in English and politics and she planned on becoming a lawyer. She didn’t even think about becoming a writer. However, working as an intern at The New York Times was a turning point in her life. She realized that writing was her passion and she wanted to pursue it as a career. Writing Career Ms. Belkin bases her writing on real- life experiences or things she has been through. She writes about her sons a lot on her blog , but “they hate when I write about them,” she says. A lot of the stories in Tales from the Times are based off of her adventure in Texas. When asked what her best selling book was, Ms. Belkin replied, “That is a sad question to ask a writer. None of them.” Even though none are bestselling, a lot of students in medical school have to read her book, First Do No Harm. Knowing that many people read her writing brings joy to her heart. Journey as a Writer You guys probably want something more interesting and comedic by now, so this humorous part will make it up to you. Once when Ms. Belkin lost her notes, she “did the professional thing and cried.” Another time, she woke up sick and she had to go to Maine to interview the state’s Attorney General. Ms. Belkin wasn’t going to let sickness stop her. When she got to the interview, she went out to shake the man’s hand and she fainted (imagine that)! When she woke up, she was lying on his coach. He told her, “Lisa, next time you are sick, stay home!” She learned from those two horrible, but humorous experiences. Conclusion She has been working for The New York Times for about ten years and she knows that she will never stop writing. Ms. Belkin lives happily with her husband (Bruce), her two sons (Evan and Alex), and their dog (Riley) writing away, and often about them. Ms. Belkin thinks children shouldn’t know what they want to be right away, and considering her experience, she just might be right.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 18:23:03 +0000
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