I'm teaching some writing with my squirrelly 9th graders, and they can't seem to get the idea of skipping part that they aren't sure about yet. I tried to explain to them that writing an essay is not so much like running a race where you start at the beginning and end at the end, … Continue reading April 4: Placeholder
writing
Friday, March 23: Writing through it
If there was any day that I really didn't want to write, today was it. I stayed at work late setting up some really cool stuff for next week, then Annika and I went out for supper and went to the play at the school together (Willy Wonka - it was really fun). We got … Continue reading Friday, March 23: Writing through it
March 7: Random Brain Droppings
I have "Don't Worry Baby" by The Beach Boys in my head. My dog is just 13 pounds but he takes up 3/4 of the bed. I'm listening to the police scanner, which seems like an old person thing to do. I washed my bedding today and it feels so soft and new. I went … Continue reading March 7: Random Brain Droppings
March 1: The Problem With Writing At Night
Today, I have written every single day for two months. I am 1/6 of the way through the year (I know February has fewer days, but let me have this one). It might be the most committed I've ever been to a project that requires sustained daily effort. I mean, aside from taking care of … Continue reading March 1: The Problem With Writing At Night
February 25: Ready to Go, I Guess
Two solid days of sleep and a day of general relaxing today seems to have done the trick I had hoped it would: I think I'm ready to go back to school. It was a good choice to take Friday off. I didn't even feel guilty. That's how crappy I felt. I tried to get … Continue reading February 25: Ready to Go, I Guess
February 23: Passersby were amazed…
I'm writing because I have to because I made a commitment to write every day this year. I've been sick in bed all day, which is kind of lonely, but it's good because I'm just tired. I have been perusing social media and watching internet fights here and there, but I don't even have the … Continue reading February 23: Passersby were amazed…
February 17: Ready for Action
I spent the day with Annika at her basketball tournament today. This was her first year playing, but she was on a team with a lot of super-talented kids who have obviously been playing basketball for years already, so while she practiced hard, she didn't get much playing time in the tougher games today. She … Continue reading February 17: Ready for Action
January 9: Busy
Today was a super full day. First, I had meetings all day, which a lot of people would think would be terrible, but I actually like meetings most of the time because I like hearing what other people think about things and talking with them. Then I worked on prepping things for a while. Then … Continue reading January 9: Busy
February 8: Small Successes
Today, one of my classes was all on time and they all wrote for the five minute write period we have every day at the beginning of class. They didn't talk, they didn't make silly faces at each other, they didn't even really go on their phones. Then they actually talked about the topic with … Continue reading February 8: Small Successes
February 7: Reading Snobs?
Today, this article about Duluth removing To Kill a Mockingbird and Huck Finn from their required reading list popped up on my Facebook feed. People get really up in arms about changes to curriculum. Some are strong proponents of certain books or pieces that must be read: Romeo and Juliet for example (or Shakespeare in … Continue reading February 7: Reading Snobs?
Adventures in Distraction 