Writing

What I haven't been writing: blog entries about whatever comes to mind -- days at school, in Viterbo, with the kids, hikes, bike rides, spring break, the Via Francigena, interesting Capstone projects, my favorite students -- I mean, students.

What I have been writing: letters of recommendation for juniors who will be back in the states next year applying to colleges; an article on leadership for gcli; journal entries on best moments of the day (these often help me remember in the following days which moments matter most -- I may say no to a game of Briscola one moment, only to realize a minute later that really, at the end of the day, that will be the most valuable thing I did in that day...and so then I can change my mind)...

What I'd like to be writing: stories and ideas and thoughts about life here or not necessarily about life here but just whatever comes to mind.

My friend Justin once told me that he got this advice about public speaking: there's the talk you plan to give; the talk you give; the talk you wished you had given.

I'm not sure how that fits in, but it comes to mind...the life we plan to live, the life we live, the life we wished we had lived?  That sounds dark.  But not meaning to...so maybe operate from the last one, reverse the order so we know how to live?...

Ah, well.  There's that Ecclesiastes reading about there's being a time for everything.

Back to recommendation letters.  Last spring a colleague at Thayer told me, "You'll be buried with recommendation letters when you get back!"  Based on some students' being annoyed every time they earned less than an A on an essay, I thought I was home free.  But no, by the end of the year, somehow I'm writing college recommendation letters for eighteen juniors out of twenty-six.

And do these letters matter at all to the colleges when they are reading thousands of applications...

No more complaining: usually I'm trying to write college recs while teaching.  I finished teaching a week ago.  So life now is writing recommendations, faculty meetings, proctoring AP exams, helping students with their Capstone projects.  No prepping or teaching.  This is a gift.

Santo (Latin and Greek teacher here) told me that he's in vacation mode.  He has grading and such to do, but he's sleeping and reading for fun and exercising.

The goal: get into vacation mode soon.