Friday, November 18, 2011

Children and Agents

It's been a busy two months.

Teaching is painful, joyful, hilarious, draining, exhilarating, and altogether eye-opening in a way I never really expected it to be. The students I work with are such an interesting and varied bunch, ranging from a handful who find it an insurmountable challenge to sit still and focus for more than three seconds at a time to several who are genuinely, startlingly brilliant. (Some of these students are one and the same!)

I have heard teaching described as a creative process, and my experience thus far has both challenged and affirmed that claim, in turns. While many days have left me feeling somewhat cynical, my students never fail to help reinstate my optimism that choosing teaching was a wise decision. It's difficult to describe to those who have never taught exactly what it feels like to be in the classroom. Often, it's kind of like having 100+ coworkers in your department, three quarters of whom are fighting to undermine your project. But as you slowly coax those renegades back over to your side, it's wonderful. I love these kids, and I will miss them (yes, even the goofballs!) when I switch to middle school in January.

Also on the creative front...I have an offer from a literary agent to represent my novel! I'm not sure how I'll manage to balance work and school and writing all at once, but I couldn't be more ecstatic at the prospect of taking the first steps toward publication.