Tonight's Poet Corner: Introspection
All right, so what do we have on the docket tonight?
Well, first of all, and I didn't mention this last week, I started tutoring a fourth grade student who I got to know last year at my AmeriCorps job. Every Tuesday, we meet at the library to read together and practice certain phonemic/phonetic techniques and practice things such as sight words and word endings and all that fun stuff. The student in particular is a lovely young girl who has been through a lot, and I believe that with some extra support, her reading capability can exceed expectations. Currently, we are reading the book The Search For Delicious, which I didn't even know existed until a few days ago and so far am absolutely enjoying.
Second, I started a brand new writing project. While I predictably won't go into much detail about it for the sake of keeping a level head in terms of my work, it's a sci-fi trilogy, which I've never tried tackling before. No, it is not the fantasy idea I've had roiling in my head, constantly mutating into something else. No, this trilogy was inspired by many factors, and I can attribute some of said factors to people like, say, Rod Serling and Brandon Sanderson.
Speaking of the latter, I got to meet Brandon Sanderson at my bookstore on Thursday! He's a hugely prolific and talented fantasy/sci-fi writer, debuting with the novel Elantris (which I got signed by him - the picture will be posted below), continuing and finishing the Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan's death, and just releasing the second book of his Stormlight Archive series, Words of Radiance. He is a wonderful, kind, down-to-earth guy who was just so cordial and generous at the event, which was attended by at least fifty people! All in all, it was a lot of fun, and it's just so amazing to be able to meet some extraordinary authors as I work one of my dream jobs.
But of course, there is one major bit of news I have to share, my meager but marvelous handful of readers: I was conditionally admitted (provided that I finish my prerequisite classes) to the Sonoma State University single subject teaching credential program.
This is something I have worked at, and been torn about, for at least two years. For a long time, I had always wanted to be a professor. However, knowing that going into graduate school immediately might have been more harmful than beneficial in my career path, I was being persuaded to seek out certification to at least qualify me for teaching jobs on the middle school and high school levels (obviously teaching English). Here's the thing: I debated getting a credential, feverishly, for a long time. I wasn't exactly sure if teaching, after all, was something I wanted to do. Also, as seen in some of my introspections last year, I wasn't exactly keen on starting too soon with a credential program, not being fully prepared to handle my potential financial situation. That (as in my monetary situation) is going to be something I have to deal with - a lot, especially if I want to stay in an apartment with my girlfriend and sister. For now the questions are as follows:
Will I be able to afford the teaching credential program?
Will I be able to find efficient transportation to get to my classes?
Will I be able to find a solid job following getting my credential without incurring too much more debt, given that I still owe twelve thousand dollars in student loans?
Of course, SSU is not the only university I'm applying to (CSU East Bay is the other), but I will be attending the orientation and (hopefully) getting some of my questions, including the ones above, answered. While this news is, well, good news, it's also stressful news. My future in teaching is becoming clearer and more imminent, but it is still in the lurch in many ways. I have a lot to figure out financially, transportation-wise, and mentally before I take on this program. Let's just hope everything falls at least somewhat nicely into place.
Writer's Quotation of the Night:
The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.
Well, first of all, and I didn't mention this last week, I started tutoring a fourth grade student who I got to know last year at my AmeriCorps job. Every Tuesday, we meet at the library to read together and practice certain phonemic/phonetic techniques and practice things such as sight words and word endings and all that fun stuff. The student in particular is a lovely young girl who has been through a lot, and I believe that with some extra support, her reading capability can exceed expectations. Currently, we are reading the book The Search For Delicious, which I didn't even know existed until a few days ago and so far am absolutely enjoying.
Second, I started a brand new writing project. While I predictably won't go into much detail about it for the sake of keeping a level head in terms of my work, it's a sci-fi trilogy, which I've never tried tackling before. No, it is not the fantasy idea I've had roiling in my head, constantly mutating into something else. No, this trilogy was inspired by many factors, and I can attribute some of said factors to people like, say, Rod Serling and Brandon Sanderson.
Speaking of the latter, I got to meet Brandon Sanderson at my bookstore on Thursday! He's a hugely prolific and talented fantasy/sci-fi writer, debuting with the novel Elantris (which I got signed by him - the picture will be posted below), continuing and finishing the Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan's death, and just releasing the second book of his Stormlight Archive series, Words of Radiance. He is a wonderful, kind, down-to-earth guy who was just so cordial and generous at the event, which was attended by at least fifty people! All in all, it was a lot of fun, and it's just so amazing to be able to meet some extraordinary authors as I work one of my dream jobs.
But of course, there is one major bit of news I have to share, my meager but marvelous handful of readers: I was conditionally admitted (provided that I finish my prerequisite classes) to the Sonoma State University single subject teaching credential program.
This is something I have worked at, and been torn about, for at least two years. For a long time, I had always wanted to be a professor. However, knowing that going into graduate school immediately might have been more harmful than beneficial in my career path, I was being persuaded to seek out certification to at least qualify me for teaching jobs on the middle school and high school levels (obviously teaching English). Here's the thing: I debated getting a credential, feverishly, for a long time. I wasn't exactly sure if teaching, after all, was something I wanted to do. Also, as seen in some of my introspections last year, I wasn't exactly keen on starting too soon with a credential program, not being fully prepared to handle my potential financial situation. That (as in my monetary situation) is going to be something I have to deal with - a lot, especially if I want to stay in an apartment with my girlfriend and sister. For now the questions are as follows:
Will I be able to afford the teaching credential program?
Will I be able to find efficient transportation to get to my classes?
Will I be able to find a solid job following getting my credential without incurring too much more debt, given that I still owe twelve thousand dollars in student loans?
Of course, SSU is not the only university I'm applying to (CSU East Bay is the other), but I will be attending the orientation and (hopefully) getting some of my questions, including the ones above, answered. While this news is, well, good news, it's also stressful news. My future in teaching is becoming clearer and more imminent, but it is still in the lurch in many ways. I have a lot to figure out financially, transportation-wise, and mentally before I take on this program. Let's just hope everything falls at least somewhat nicely into place.
Writer's Quotation of the Night:
The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.
- Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
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