by Frank Thoms; art by Andrew Osta

You have come to live in San Miguel, because it is a writers and artists community. You decide you want to paint. After buying some small canvases and acrylics, you make your first painting. You post it. Surprisingly, you get many "likes" and a few positive comments. "Wow," you say to yourself. You paint several more and get more likes and positive comments. Perhaps, you think that you are becoming a good painter.

San Miguel is the city of "likes." Sometimes I think it is as if we live in Facebook. We see a post of someone's painting or photograph or poem, and being the encouraging people we are, we click the "like" symbol and perhaps add a comment. On Facebook there is no "unlike" symbol. It's not in online culture. And it seems not to be in San Miguel's either.

If you decide that you want to paint or take photos as a hobby, Facebook posts will be enough. You will be sharing them with "friends." But if you decide at this time in your life that you want to become a good painter, a good photographer, a good writer here, relying on Facebook feedback doesn't cut it. So, what do you do?

You can't do it alone. That's the first principle. In our professional lives, we depended on others so we could become better at what we did. We sought their guidance, advice, and support. I learned early on in my teaching career, despite spending most of the time alone with my students, that I could not have been successful without help from other teachers, mentors, and from listening to comments from students. And I was fortunate in some years to teach alongside colleagues, a built-in learning experience.

When coming to San Miguel I decided that I wanted to become a good writer, a published writer. Having been a lifelong teacher, I wanted to give back to the profession I loved. I wanted my writing to speak to young teachers and to offer them ideas and hope in what has become a more stressful profession.

I took a couple of summer workshops sponsored by the Literary Sala. I attended the Writers' Conference; I had and have the option to go online for workshops from the Conference and many other sources. And I have found different groups of like-minded writers in San Miguel, who want serious feedback about their work. I can't count how many critique sessions I've participated in over the past 11 years. They have been invaluable. Without them, I doubt I would have been able to have five books published by two publishers and have another one on the way.

Critiques can be challenging. I've left unfulfilled, having learned that my pieces were misunderstood, that the writing came up short. Other times, I've felt that I had shortchanged another writer with my weak critique. From others I've left high on feedback about the writing, but low from comments about the quality of my arguments.

The challenge for writers is to reach readers. Without feedback I doubt I could have persisted in that never-ending effort.

In my most recent critique session I submitted three essays in a series, looking for comments on the quality of the writing. My fellow writers told me that I was not showing empathy and care in them. Without that feedback, I may well have continued with the other essays in the series in the same vein. But I took their advice, ultimately combining the essays into a book addressed to 21st century teachers. I will need further feedback in the process.

My unsolicited advice, won from personal experience, is that if you want to become better at whatever discipline you have chosen, you would do well to seek feedback and critiques from those others in your field. How will you know who to approach? You can begin to find them by asking around; we are a small town. And you can find support online. When you make this choice, you will be better for it. And the city will be better for it.

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Frank Thoms was a classroom teacher and consultant for 50 years. He has taught in public and private schools in the United States, as well as in schools in England, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mexico. In the 70s, he developed a model open-education classroom that served as a resource to New England schools. He has consulted for PBS, AFS Intercultural Programs, the Kettering Foundation, Association of Independent Schools of New England, and the Vermont State Department of Education.

www.frankthoms.com

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