Into the Unknown

Into the unknown Is frightening Enlightening Anxiety ridden Into the unknown For someone who plans And plans And takes no action Is just taking a single step Forward Into the unknown To see that it’s terrifying But worth it That it will always be scary But exciting That it will never be easy But that’s […]

Pushing Through

Some more letters written today and some more tweaking. The closer I get to this particular goal, the more terrified I get. It’s not even the idea that I will fail, or I am not as good as I would like to be. Hell, even the idea of success seizes me guts cold. Really, it’s […]

Student Centred

Student centred is a term I have heard throughout my time as an educator. Most of the time, I feel like I have heard it wrong, especially in what that usually looks like in the classroom. Many educators do a fantastic job with differentiation, but really struggle with letting go of the control of the […]

Self-Doubt

There has been nothing more toxic or damaging to me in my writing career as this demon of self-doubt. Don’t get me wrong, understanding my place in this world is probably a good thing. I know that I am not the next Stephen King or anything, so really I need to manage my expectations. But […]

A touch of summer

A touch of summer in the eyes On lids closed As a warm breeze kisses our faces It’s bright enough the see the green The hope of the world Even with our eyes closed We can smell the air Untainted As it tickles our faces Rushing past to bring smiles To everyone on the lake […]

I am Still Going

I am still going, even though I don’t have a clue what I am doing. I mean, when it comes to writing, I am fine. I am a great storyteller and I know that I have a way with words. When it comes to the business side of things . . . well, I certainly […]

Love and Hate

Teaching and writing are both parts of my life that I both love and hate. There are so many moments during my day when I take absolute joy from what I am doing. There’s no feeling quite like hitting a flow in your writing, no matter the subject matter. Nor is there anything quite like […]

Graduation

This is not your typical graduation The years have not been kind to learning Isolation is no true guide This is not just ceremony Nor is it celebration time This is a moment in a story Where you look back at what came Before Before moving on This is where you take stock This is […]

The Education Fallacy

When you have worked long enough in education, you are bound to come across a few recycled phrases. “We’ve always done it this way” is a personal favourite of mine. Nothing says I don’t want to think about my practice more than the expression that assumes mastery. “We did this before, but we called it […]

Getting Behind

I don’t think there’s a worse feeling in the world than getting behind. In education, it’s an experience that I have often. Marking, planning, reports, oh my. The deadlines are furious and all consuming. Plus, you need to keep track of your own, teach the students how to keep track of theirs, and make sure […]