Saturday, May 19, 2012

End of a Difficult School Year

A friend commented a few days ago that I had not posted a new blog entry for a while, and, frankly, I confess that I have not felt as if I had much blogworthy to describe. The past nine months have been whiplash ups and downs, and I am seeing so many changes in progress that bearings get more and more difficult to determine.

Today, though, I am going to dwell on the positive events. I am going to leave out the usual good stuff for which I am grateful, the good health of my family and friends, the network of kind feeling, and the other award-acceptance kind of stuff that one has to acknowledge. Consider those things acknowledged. Here are the positives:

  • My wife and kids have gotten opportunities that have made them happier. Betterhalf got a better job where she feels challenged and appreciated. Firstkid is doing well off at that out-of-town university. Middlekid feels confident in what he is doing, taking to books and band. The Dotter's talents are starting to blossom--she placed in a poetry contest, she draws all the time, and she's excited that she'll be playing flute in band next year. Things seem to be paying off for all of them.
  • This past spring, I had the single best teaching semester I have had in more years than I can remember. I taught a senior-level novels class filled with bright, articulate students, many of them talented writers, as well. I also taught a graduate-level novels class that taught me a great deal in return. After a difficult fall semester, this past spring semester offered a great deal of relief.
  • I actually began feeling more like a writer this past year. I had some modest success in getting poems accepted to some respectable journals, I am co-editing a book of essays about country music lyricists (due out at the end of this year--wait for the announcement), and I have placed other pieces. My goal for next year is to feel more like an accomplished writer.
  • I am getting closer to a sense of where I fit in my work as a teacher and as a semi-administrator. I think I am finding the balance.

That's about all to blog about now. I am seeing some light.