What a Well-documented Life

November 27, 2024

What a Well-documented Life

With my father in memory care, I’ve had some time to go through my his shop, his writing, and memorabilia. One of my great finds was the collection of annual mini calendars pictured above. I was able to go back to different times and see where he had reminders for appointments, and even significant events in my life that he was praying for or planning to be a part of. That’s pretty awesome. I noticed that the journals in the last 4 years were more tattered and repaired. This is a sign of the progress of his memory loss.

As I review these and other writings and projects of his, I can still hear my father's voice echoing in our workshop: "Let me check my notes." At the time, his insistence on documenting every project, and every failed attempt seemed excessive to my younger self. But as I've grown in my career, I've come to realize that those early lessons in documentation were preparing me for something far greater than just organizing our special projects.

The Foundation of Documentation

My father, a pastor, a mason and wood craftsman by trade, taught me that documentation wasn't just about recording what you did – it was about creating a roadmap for future understanding. He had a pattern in his trade work and ministry that was a simple three-step process: Write down what you're planning to do, what you actually did, and what you learned from it. The volumes of his documentation is a testament to this. This three-part approach to documentation, I would later learn, mirrors the exact practices that make STEM education so effective.

Research shows that this kind of systematic documentation serves as a powerful tool for students in STEM fields (1). Science notebooks and discovery journals aren't just bureaucratic busywork – they're fundamental instruments that help students record observations, develop hypotheses, track experimental procedures, and draw conclusions (2). These practices don't just mirror the real-world activities of scientists and engineers; they actively shape how we think and learn.

Beyond Just Taking Notes

What my father understood, and what research now confirms, is that the act of writing in STEM goes far beyond mere record-keeping. When students engage in writing tasks, they're encouraged to articulate their thoughts clearly, leading to deeper comprehension and better retention of complex concepts. As I moved into a career in teaching and educational technology I would often write something down because I'd remember it and be able to reflect on the process through and beyond a project. I can see now that this is one of the gifts my father gave to me.

The impact of writing in STEM education is profound and multifaceted (3). Students learn to:

Confirm their thinking through explicit articulation
Document their understanding for future reference
Explore new ideas through the process of writing itself

The Professional Impact

Today, as I navigate my own career and personal projects, I see how those early lessons in documentation have become invaluable professional skills. Technical writing, scientific arguments, and detailed procedural documentation are not just academic exercises – they're the building blocks of professional communication in STEM fields (4).

The ability to integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information, analyze scientific texts, and write clear explanations of procedures isn't just nice to have – it's essential (5). Whether it's publishing research findings, preparing technical reports, or creating user manuals, these skills form the backbone of professional and personal STEM communication.

A Living Legacy

Looking back, I realize that my father wasn't just teaching me about documentation – he was showing me how to think. The systematic approach to documentation that he instilled has proven to be perfectly aligned with what research shows about successful STEM education (6). Every time I open a new project notebook or begin documenting a new procedure, I'm not just following professional best practices – I'm continuing a tradition of thoughtful, thorough documentation that started in our workshop years ago.

The research is clear: writing and documentation are vital components of learning STEM topics (7). They enhance student understanding, develop critical thinking abilities, and prepare learners for successful careers in STEM fields. But beyond the research and statistics, I've learned that documentation is more than just a professional tool – it's a way of thinking, a method of learning, and a bridge between understanding and execution.

As I write in my own daily calendars, notebooks, planners and reflection journals each day, I can't help but smile at how right my father was. In making, as in life, if you didn't write it down, it didn't happen. And thanks to his early lessons, I will never forget to write it down.