Welcome to New Attitude
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n my office wall hangs each issue of New Attitude in its own plastic sleeve. This issue will finish out our second year of publication and bring us to an even eight issues. The day the magazine comes back from the printer and I open the first box of magazines and hang the new issue next to the others is when I finally let out a sigh of relief and say, “We did it.”
Each issue becomes a marker in my life, anchoring memories in my mind. It’s kind of like a song you hear that reminds you of a time of year or a particular friend. When I think of this issue, I’ll remember it as the time I took the plunge into cyberspace. I finally got on-line in December and had the treat of working with Kara Griffith again on this issue’s cover story. Kara’s a terrific writer and, most importantly, a reliable, hard work er. Not to mention patient! She walked me through the process of sending the article by modem. Actually, she walked me through it about four times before we got it right. I learned as much as anyone from Kara’s article and hope it will serve to spark your desire to learn more as well.
What’s Missing, What’s New
One of our most popular sections, Music & the Arts, takes a break this issue but will be back in full form in the spring.
Appearing for the first time this issue are A Day at My School and Around. I’d love to hear what you think of these new sections. While you’re at it, help us plan for 1995 by letting us know the kinds of articles you’d like to see and the issues you would like covered.
Pen Pals
Many have written encouraging us to start a pen-pal service for home-school teens. We’ve put it off until now because we didn’t have any good ideas on how to make it work. When I was younger, Iran a homeschool pen pal service, so I know the problems {headaches) we would run into and the time it would consume. I knew we didn’t have the manpower to provide a full-blown pen-pal matching service. What we’ve finally decided to do is use our Classifieds section as the place readers can do their own search for a pen pal. For about $ 7 {depending on the number of words) you can list a few interests and your name and address. Though this isn’t a perfect setup, there are a number of advantages. We don’t have to spend extra time matching people by age and interest-something we simply can’t do. And you’re not limited to only one pen pal. Though we cannot guarantee a response, there is the possibility that many teens would begin to correspond with you. You might not regularly write everyone, but you’ll probably find a few “kindred spirits” and form pen-pal friendships with them. This is all new to us, but we hope it will provide flexibility and make it easy for you to link with other like-minded Christians. {See page 11 for details on charges and listings.)
Five Ways You Can Contribute To New Attitude
We need you to be involved in New Attitude. Many of our readers have written asking how to write for the magazine. Here are five important ways:
· Write for Interaction. We need your letters! Girls have been doing great for this section. For awhile the guys seemed to be staying away, but this issue they came through with flying colors! Keep it up! Read the details about next issue’s interaction on page 24; then put in your two cents. Send a picture, too!
· Volunteer for A Day at My School. Our new section needs students who will share a journal from a school day and the tools they use. If you’d like to participate, write us and tell us about your home school, what makes it interesting and why you think you’d be perfect for the job! Don’t worry, bragging is allowed just this once.
· Write a note for Mail. No, we can’t print every letter, but we read everyone and value your input. Most of our best ideas have come from readers. Have a bone to pick with NA? We want to hear that, too.
· Write a review for our Readables section. To qualify as a Readables reviewer, we need to see a sample review first. After that, we’ll assign books for you!
· Write an article or story on a topic important to you. If you just have an idea, send us an article proposal so we can tell you if it’s something we can use. If you already have an article, that’s great. We can’t print every submission, but we welcome everyone and seriously consider each regardless of your age or experience.
I hope you’ll find your niche in this list. Maybe you’ll contribute in more than one area. That’s great, too. After two years, we’re getting better at this; but it doesn’t change the fact we need your input and creativity. I hope to hear from you soon.
