And On His 38th Year in K-12 Schools, This Dude Is...Well, He's On Sabbatical. What to Do? What to Do?

Last night officially kicked off the reality of a sabbatical. I've grown accustom to my night courses and Julie Roneson filled in for my EN 411 course, Teaching The Writing Processes. I don't have to teach this semester. My goal is to write, work on research, organize (and dare I say it), and breathe. Although I argue it officially began on Monday, reports came to me today that most of my colleagues didn't return to campus until Tuesday, so I'll argue that is when the official sabbatical began.

I began the day aligning my goals and putting together a plan of action for the Kentucky Writing Project. I also targeted the writing goals and set up a series of reading goals, too. In the middle of the day, too, I took a walk with my colleague and friend Alisha Smith to align with her plans, dreams, and directions in southern Connecticut. Such a walk-n-talk would never happen if I was "back to school" in the traditional way. I'd be hunkered in my office (which I still need to do, but hope not to go in when I can be noticed).

It's crazy to begin and end a day with walking the dog and to have time to cook a meal every night. It's also GREAT to get in the habit of watching the nightly news again. Heck, I even began listening to podcasts on my IPod which has somewhat subsided with the hustle and bustle of the last couple of years.

So, I'm marking my 38th year in public schools from my home reflecting on what those 38 years mean. I can report, "Writing instruction remains sub-par and outlets for young writers and their talents are scant." Ah, but that is what the semester is about (and wrestling the dog off of me who is on my head as soon as I sit down to write...if I pay attention to anything besides her she lets me know).

But today, the focus on my work begins. I need to get in a routine of my agenda, 24/7, and to put my priorities first (now, that has rarely happened in the last, almost, 4 decades).