What’s next? It’s a question I ask myself constantly in every one of my roles in life. Professionally, I can’t help but to look forward. For me that means looking for the next innovative tools, strategies, and understandings to impact my classroom and coaching, followed by inspirations for writing, presenting, and more.
I like to think of myself as a good multitasker, but I need to do more to prioritize. And sometimes, that means making changes or sacrifices. If you’re an educator or writer, I’m sure you can relate--our jobs are different every single day so we have to be open to change, too, but it’s easy to get lost in that whirlwind of new.
Moving forward, I aim to follow the advice of literary greats like William Faulkner, Alan Ginsberg, and Stephen King, and to kill my darlings. The quote refers to a writer’s need to often remove parts of a piece that they value personally but might not be necessary to the whole. We all have the projects and paragraphs we selfishly love that are difficult to cut but better off saved for another day. If you can remove it without hurting the larger whole, it probably didn’t need to be there in the first place.
Image courtesy of quotefancy.com. “Kill your darlings” is attributed originally either Faulkner or Ginsberg, depending on who you ask.
For me, this phrase means to focus, prioritize, and learn to say no. I love to blog, write, present, research, read, and more, but I also want to be a functional human being, enjoy summer, and succeed as a doctoral student.
This post serves two purposes. First, it’s an update for you, fair reader, to let you know about my plans and ideas for the future. Secondly, it’s a promise. If I put these ideas in writing for a public audience, I now have a written commitment with the world. I hope you will hold me to it.
- Vacation! I���ll be spending the next week or so on the beach in the Dominican Republic so this will be the only post for few days. Enjoy your week--I know I will!
- Doctor Schoenbart. For the rest of the month, my first priority will be reading and writing to make progress in drafts of my dissertation. I have my topic, a prospectus draft, and now need to get my ideas on paper.
- The SchoenBlog. That may mean less frequent updates to the SchoenBlog for a few weeks. It will likely mean more writing that reflects on my doctoral work, too.
- The SchoenBlog 2.0. Then, with the start of the school year, I hope to return with a revamped Schoenblog. I have a few new features in mind, with plans for a brand new site with updated content, an e-book, and new layout.
Today is August 1. That means I have about a month to achieve the goals above. With a few conference dates and other deadlines plus preparing for the new school year, it will be a busy August. I’m excited about the challenges ahead and look forward to what’s next.
cross posted at www.aschoenbart.com
Adam Schoenbart is a high school English teacher, Google Education Trainer, and EdD candidate in Educational Leadership. He teaches grades 10-12 in a 1:1 Chromebook classroom at Ossining High School in Westchester County, NY and received the 2014 LHRIC Teacher Pioneer Award for innovative uses of technology that change teaching and learning. Read more at The SchoenBlog and connect on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.
