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 […]
Questions I Wrestle With
There are a host of questions I wrestle with as a creative. Most of them you would know already, without even talking to me. The same narcissistic pull, the same neurotic push of “when will people find my genius?” to “why do you even bother?” Usually at the same time, which is absolute torture. But […]
Achieving Flow
I am not going to be giving you the formula for being productive in your writing. There is no magical formula of: minds-on activity + music = instant innovation. Most importantly, if anyone offers to sell you such a recipe, don’t offer up your money. The only solution that person is offering is how to […]
Consistency
Consistency in your daily writing is not something you owe to anyone else. Taking the time to write is a gift that you owe yourself. And while success in writing is the dream, the goal is to get better, both in terms of skill and in terms of balance. Trust me, when it comes to […]