If not for NCTE: My writing journey

 

In 2011 I attended my first National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference in Chicago, Illinois. I clearly remember sitting in a hotel bar at the end of the conference and a friend said to me, “When are you going to start a blog?” Another friend asked what I was taking away from the conference. My reply had been that I needed to write more.

As a teacher I’d always been a person who reads. It was easy for me to share my reading life with my students. But I was not a person who wrote. So, this blog was born. From it I discovered it was hard to share your writing with the world, which shed some light on why peer editing made some students want to vomit. I also learned how amazing it was when people connected with you through your writing.

This blog led to me joining weekly writing challenges like ‘It’s Monday, what are you reading?’ and ‘Slice of Life Tuesdays,’ just to name two. Writing here led to me writing for Choice Literacy, to contributing to several professional development books.

Eventually it led to me trying to write my own book for teachers. However, that was when I realized how exhausted I was in having teaching in every nook of my life. Enter romance books as a reader and, after some time, as a writer.

Without NCTE, I wouldn’t have had writing become a part of my life. I wouldn’t have published eight small-town romance books. I wouldn’t be able to give my students the advice from the standpoint of having been where they are as they write their NaNoWriMo stories. I wouldn’t understand deeply that there is no one-size-fits-all way of writing. I wouldn’t allow them the freedom that I do. And I really doubt I’d get thirty kids to give up lunch in the cafeteria with their friends to write in my classroom on a given Wednesday with me. 

If not for NCTE, I would not be a writer. I’m celebrating that today.

Bright Spots

 

Today was a rough day. It is no secret to anyone who knows me that I would support the Harris Walz ticket this election. So yeah, today was a rough one. But I had a bright spot waiting for me once I arrived at school, my friend Mr. Schu was presenting for our students and staff today.

I met John Schu online in a group of educators almost twenty years ago. We first met in person at the NCTE in Chicago in the picture on the left in 2011. Today, pictured right, I got to hug him and celebrate the amazing author he is.

What I loved today whether it was in watching him with kids or with the staff, I felt such pride in John and what he has accomplished. The young librarian I knew was amazing. He and his capacious heart lifted the spirits of everyone around him. John Schu, the author, does that all and more. I was struck when watching him connect with child after child today that this is what John was born to do. He spoke to so many middle school kids today, and teachers, and yet each one walked away feeling like he was there only for them. They got something special out of it and, I think, it was that John really sees the kids in front of him. They can feel that.

So yeah, today started out rough. And my capacious heart is feeling a little tender. But I also was reminded of why I'm here and how awesome my friends are. John's super power today was the power to heal, even if he didn't know it. 

Still Learning

 

My students were surprised the other day when I told them I was rushing out of school with the kids at dismissal on Thursdays in October because I needed to get home to take a ‘class.’ Why on earth, many of them asked, was I still talking classes? I’d taught for almost thirty years.

I love learning. Far more than when I was a kid, as an adult I’m fascinated by it. Yesterday, for example, we had an inservice day in my district. In the morning I listened to Chase Mielke talk to us about burnout. I attended another session from Chase about growth mindset. (He’s fabulous, by the way, if you’re looking for a presenter.) After Chase’s second session, I attended one from two teachers in our district talking about how we learn and how they’ve shifted the way they teach over the years. It was rejuvenating. 

But that Thursday class I’m taking? It is one that reminds me of what I know to be true. I can’t attend NCTE this year like I normally do. Although my district would pay for the conference, I pay for my own travel and a plane ticket to Boston is not in my budget this year. So, when I saw Penny Kittle, Linda Rief, and Tom Romano were holding a series of Zooms on the teaching of memoir, I signed up immediately. 

Last week we heard from all three of these mentors. They each guided us in writing of our own, modeling what this looks like in our classroom. I sat, pen to paper, scribbling down memories as fast as I could, my mind pinging once again at what I could transfer to the classroom.

Learning never stops, as I’ve told my students so many times. Long buried lessons emerge, as they did yesterday when my colleague, Jim, talked about metacognition and cognitive dissonance. I’m so grateful for all of the chances to shake out the cobwebs on a regular basis and become a student once again.

One of my Favorite Days

 

One week in officially with these kids and I can tell it's going to be a great year. As I mentioned last week, my ELA colleague and I like to do a slower start to the year and spend the first week getting to know our students and trying to build some community in each class period. I have to admit, this is something that was far easier in elementary school when you have the same crew with you all day long. As a result, we have to consciously pick activities that get them moving, talking to their classmates, and inadvertently sharing about themselves. We played games like this or that, choose three, and soup/ salad/ or sandwich. We did a lot of writing and sharing. 

On Thursday we did one of my favorite lessons. Jason Momoa shared a video years ago advertising for Carhartt called Canvas of My Life. In it, he talks about what he values and what’s important to him. We watch it, take notes about what we learn about Momoa, and then they write their first essay for me. In it they share what their values are and often compare themselves to Momoa. I look forward each year to reading their essays. 

And watching Momoa for several periods isn’t too bad either. 

First Day Exhaustion

 

Today was our first day of school and I am ready for bed. Well, I am, but it was also an amazing day. It's amazing how twenty-nine years in, it still exhausts me and I never feel like I'm quite ready before the kids come. I don't think it would matter if I was there four hours a day for four weeks leading up or just two, there is always more to do and that's okay. 

I left a message for a friend after school. I know we are in the honeymoon period, I know there will be all sorts of problems to fix in the next few weeks. And after one day with these kids, I see so much potential for our year ahead.

One thing my ELA colleague and I are doing differently this year is a much slower start to the school year. Next week we be filled with community builders, chances for me to get to know each student, and loads of time to find a perfect book to start the year with.

Today, my main goal beyond getting some routines established was to let my students get to know me. I put up a slide with pictures of me (see above) and asked my students to get up and move around the room. They could go behind my desk, look at displays, just study the classroom for five minutes. When they got back to their desks, I asked them what they could infer about me from what they'd observed. It was awesome. 

A school year lasts 180 days. We are only three in (two inservices, one day of student attendance), but I am very hopeful about the year ahead. I can't wait to see what we have in store.

What will be the hits this year?

 

Last week a romance author I love, Lucy Score, had a post on her reading group asking for teacher's classroom wishlists. I posted one and a lovely reader purchased every item I had on my list. So unbelievably kind. As I took the books into my classroom today, I began to label them and wondered what books will be the hits this year. If you've been in the classroom, you know what I'm talking about. The books that are passed hand to hand, never seeing the shelf, but always moving on to another reader. 

Every year I can count on certain titles to be included in that group, but often new books become "hot" based on the interests of the new group of kids. Last year's class found Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet series, one I was certain they would have read before seventh grade. Somehow they missed it and the kids devoured the books, not understanding how lucky they were to only have to wait until February for book nine. Another hit last year was the young adult romance, Better than the Movies. Kids loved it so much that one girl borrowed it from me for the summer so she could read it and pass it on to her friends before school started back up. I can't wait to hear what she thought.

As I sat in my room shelving my new books today I looked over the spines of old favorites as well as the new titles. The kids will be here in two weeks. The books and I cannot wait to meet them.

Surrounded by Possibilities

 

It's one of my favorite times of year, the lead up to the start of school. I posted on TikTok a video of the first day I went into my classroom this summer and while some viewers shared my excitement, others said they absolutely do not want to go back into the classroom when it's still their time. 

And I get that, I really do. Summers have a whole bunch of feelings wrapped up in them because some folks point to them and say teachers have it easy because they get paid to take the summer off. To say that is to ignore so much - some teachers work jobs in the summer to supplement a lower income, some teach summer school, some work at year round schools, and many of us have our pay checks spread over twelve months instead of ten, meaning we're not paid for this "time off." Whatever the case may be, I support teachers that don't want to go back a minute before they have to, that just isn't the case for me.

I love going in to my classroom to set it up slowly - an hour here or there when I feel like it. I love looking around the room and wondering what the upcoming school year will be like. I love wondering which class will be my chill one, which the funny class, etc. I wonder what books will be popular this year, what genres. The possibilities of what lies ahead is what gets me excited about going back. 

My room is essentially ready, but I'll collaborate with colleagues several times before August 14th. Year twenty-nine is coming up and I cannot wait.

A return to blogging and... Momoa

This summer I was talking to a friend about blogging. Both of us had blogged regularly back in the 2010s. Is that how you write that? At any rate, neither of us had blogged for years and as we discussed it, realized I missed it.

When I was blogging in 2018-2019, I struggled to figure out how to manage the time I had to write. I was still debating writing a book for teaching. I wrote articles on the regular for Choice Literary. I had begun to make tentative steps to writing a romance book. And I blogged. When I sat down with the small writing time I actually had, I never knew what "writing" I should actually work on. Whatever it was, I always felt like I'd picked incorrectly.

Flash forward three years since I last posted here. I've published seven romance books under the pen name Kat Ryan and am working on an eighth, and that is where the majority of my writing energy goes. I love writing something that has nothing to do with teaching. I love crafting a newsletter for my subscribers each month where I shine a light on things I loved that month. There's so much negativity in the world, my newsletter and my romance books are my way of trying to bring some bright spots to others.

So why jump back to blogging? Honestly, even though I missed it, I didn't think it was something that would fit into my writing life time-wise until I saw a social media post from my friend, Tony. He basically posts one social media post a week. There's a little text and three pictures: a pic of the week, a book of the week, and a song of the week. I love it. 

My commitment for anyone that wants to follow along on my foray back into writing blogs is this: One posts a week with a picture and some type of reflection. You can find today's picture above, the reflection below. 

**

Today I headed to my classroom to get it set up. Once the shell of my room is ready, I can take the next three to four weeks for me without the stress of telling myself I need to do "x." As I placed some tables where they needed to be, I looked up to see my cardboard cutout of Jason Momoa watching over the room.

When I published my first romance book back in 2021, my friend Cindy sent me this guy from Amazon. My hero, Max, was loosely based on Momoa. Cindy sent it to me for laughs and, once I messaged her my thanks, I wondered what to do with this giant cut out. 

After thinking for a minute, I decided to bring him into my classroom. Surely seventh graders would get a kick out of it. And boy was I right. Momoa has become a talking point for every class since. My favorite comment was two years ago from a girl that joined our class midyear. I was sitting by her desk one day, reassuring her that moving to a new school would, indeed, get easier. 

"D" looked at me, then moved her head to look at Momoa. With all the sarcasm a thirteen year old can muster, she said, "You ever going to tell me why that dude is in here just staring at us?" 

Ahh, bless. So Momoa is there, just waiting for our year to being. And I'm now at home, furiously working on book eight so I can focus on my seventh graders in just a few short weeks. 

It's good to be back.