Thursday, August 20, 2015

Forgiveness - and making time for my manuscript

In school we're doing this new initiative where we have each class come up with its own social contract, describing outlining the behavior they wish to see in the classroom.

My first group (13 seniors) took about 45 minutes.

My second group (16 kiddos, a mix of sophomores, juniors, and a few seniors) took about 70 minutes today and we're  not finished yet.

I bring this up because I had an actual lesson plan for today. I was planning on teaching actual history today, so that by the time the course ends in January, I might have actually taught my students U.S. History up through, you know, at least the year 2000.

Instead, not only did I not get to my lesson for today, but we're probably also not going to get to today's lesson tomorrow, or tomorrow's lesson tomorrow, because we're invested in this social contract and darn it, we're going to finish it and we're going to do it right.

I feel that way about my writing most of the time. I start out the day with a plan. I'm going to go to work, I'm going to stay until four or four thirty. I'm going to go home and have a small snack and then work on revisions, and then I'm going to read and then I'm going to go to bed.

But I can't do my stuff for me because I'm too busy helping students and other teachers and administration. So I push back my own work and take that home. I have an early dinner, take care of grading and planning and what-have-you until it's time to get ready for bed.

I climb in and look at my book, then realize I should check some social media, to show support to my friends and see if there are any interest writing things I need to know. Because that's what we're told - find your agents, follow them on twitter, learn about them, get to know them, so that you'll make a better query.

I fall asleep without ever actually doing any personal reading or writing, and then I get up and I do it all over again.

And I LOVE my life. I really do. I help and inspire. And I help TO inspire. My kids and peers look up to me - even while they're all looking down AT me.

Today I get to make revisions, because I forgot my students' assignments in the classroom, and I'm going to enjoy every moment I have doing it, and I'm so glad that I have this time. Because it will remind me - now that school has started - how important it is for me to make time for me and my manuscript. Ultimately that's still most important.

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