Today is the start of this month’s blog streak! I’ll be posting every day from now until Saturday. I love blogging week because it pushes me to write more freely. I love it even more this month because I’m hip-deep in creative projects at the moment and feeling so good about it. But let’s start […]
teaching
2020 Anticipation
The first two reflection posts have served their purpose. In the past few days, they’ve prompted me to re-read my journal from 2019 (well, I skimmed it– it was tens of thousands of words long), write a list of my 2020 commandments (I’ll share it soon) and start my why/what/how goal and habit systems for […]
2019 Reflection, Part 2
(If you missed part 1 of my year-end reflection questions, it’s here.) What was the most important lesson you learned in 2019? My word for the year was FOCUS, and I learned a lot of strategies to help me prioritize, organize and manage my time. One of my favorite strategies was the brain dump. When […]
Summer Reflections
My writing life has been going beautifully this summer– except for this blog! I tend to write blog posts as mini-reflections on what’s going on in my life, and they tend to come spontaneously. But I’ve come to realize that approach only works well during the school year. In the summer, my reflections don’t come […]
The Perpetual Goodbye
This week, I’m saying goodbye to my fifth grade band students. I’ve been teaching them for two years. That’s about 60 small-group lessons and 85 band rehearsals– a lot of student-teacher contact time. I’ve gotten to know many of them quite well, and I’m going to miss them very much. It’s something that isn’t discussed […]
My Creative Autobiography, Part 3
Today’s post is the conclusion of my creative autobiography, based on Twyla Tharp’s 33 Questions. I hope you enjoyed this series, because answering these questions has been a true miracle for me. It has opened my eyes to the real sources and themes of my creative life, and that knowledge will have lasting impact on […]