I think, at least for now, I’ve exhausted my brain and my “pen” regarding teaching, issues of public schooling, educational crisis, education reform. I know I will come back to it. It’s inevitable. But for the time being I feel like anything I have to say now will be a repeat of something I have said earlier and I run the risk of sounding like a broken record. To sum up: teaching hard, class-sizes too big, public schools good, underfunding public schools bad, standardized testing bad, intrinsic motivation good, extrinsic motivation not as good, cell phones bad, closing schools bad, fire bad, Frankenstein good. See, already in my summing up I have started to drift away from the topic.
So what else is on my mind? What’s worth blogging about? Feel free to chime in or to cast your vote.
I’m going to stop beginning every one of my blog entry titles with the word “of.” Of is so on or about yesterday. I want to write about writing. I want to write, in particular, about what to do with my first novel, which is, in this very moment, sitting in a box. I want to write about reading. I’m excited about the new book by David Shields called How Literature Saved My Life and I think I could write a blog entry or two about how that has been true in my life as well. Maybe there’s a meditation on a key book or two. Hell, I might even write a review. I want to write about music. Maybe I’ll write about what I said I wouldn’t write about, my band and its endeavors. Hell, I might even write a review of the new They Might Be Giants record, or the new David Bowie (which I do not yet possess), or the new Eels (which I do not yet possess) Maybe I’ll write about records I would like to possess.
I’m afraid, but I would like to write about religion–and, being afraid, that’s probably the sign that I should write about religion.
You get the picture. It’s time to transition. It’s time for a change-up. It’s time for a new conversation. I don’t know if this is true or not, that topic consistency might be a selling point for a blog site, the thing that makes people keep coming back, but I think I’m going to risk losing a reader here and there in order to sufficiently entertain my own bad self. I hope you all stay along for the ride.
michael jarmer 
I’ve enjoyed your teaching blogs. Nice to see someone saying the same things many of us have been feeling. But I understand the frustration…it’s like swimming uphill in a sea of pudding. You never seem to get anywhere. Teachers are expected to do more and more with less and less AND take the abuse and be happy about it. Write about something that makes you happy.
Thanks for the support and thanks for reading. I really appreciate it! And I love the image of “swimming uphill in a sea of pudding.”
Dear Michael
This is the problem for with blogs and why I have lapsed into blog silence for almost a year. Having to produce and the sense of depletion. I’m always interested in what you, btw. Much affection to you.