Tonight's Poet Corner: Introspection
Happy Friday, everyone. First of all, I want to extend a huge thank you to those who read my May 15th introspection, which I have been returning to and editing from time to time to make sure it best fits my gender expression. The sheer amount of support and kindness that I have received is almost more overwhelming to me than the support I received when I came out as gay in 2011. I know genderfluidity can be a tricky subject because it means I'm sort of non-binary, but the fact that so many of you took my words into account and even told me that you learned something new about gender identity...it just blows my mind in the most positive, happiest way. So thank you again.
Okay. Now that that's done with, uh...not much to report this week, really. My new teaching job is wonderful. It's nice to be making more money, of course, but it's also nice to be working in an incredible environment with amazing teachers and insanely talented and smart kids, and just being able to work with all of them is just so much fun. I'm learning a lot about improving my craft, about engaging my students and just growing more as a teacher. Sonoma State's credential program has definitely helped me, I won't deny that. But the one-on-one structure at my job, to me, encourages a lot more welcoming and intimate classroom environment between the teacher and the student. I get to bond more with these kids and help them out and develop a class that is meaningful to them, instead of worrying about how I'm going to make a class engaging for all thirty students taking it at a public school.
Don't get me wrong - I am not, in any way, putting down the public school system or a larger classroom structure. I'm just saying that being able to work in an alternative educational institution is, well...educational. And I'm tucking a lot more tools into my teaching utility belt and practicing more teaching strategies and it's just awesome. So I'm looking forward to what's to come in my next teaching adventures.
Writing has taken a little bit of a backseat in my life, unfortunately - at least, the larger writing projects. Obviously, I can still maintain and update this blog daily, and the fact that I have been doing this for almost four years without really hitting a wall means a lot to me. It means I've developed a sort of discipline to my writing, a minimum expectation as to what I should complete every day. I have written, let's be real here, probably over one thousand poems ever since I started this blog in 2011. That's amazing. And while maybe my Storytellers can be very short or my poetry might be a bit stiff or hackneyed on some nights, I'm still writing. And that's important.
So in terms of projects, I do have ideas for either a movie script or a play. Something that focuses a lot more on gender identity and maybe the trans community. I've had a lot of peers scratch their heads when I ask them whether or not I should be considered someone under the trans umbrella, similar to how being gay puts you under the queer umbrella. But I think that telling stories about people who are non-binary or genderqueer or genderfluid shouldn't be de-prioritized. Sometimes, it's really easy to block out people's stories for the sake of others' - for example, we're focusing a lot on same-sex marriage, but not really on LGBT+ youth who are homeless. Or we're celebrating Caitlyn Jenner, but we're not exactly talking about the abuse or potential deaths of trans people who may not be as privileged. I do agree that sometimes, priorities can be skewed. I also think that stories should have an equal platform in when and how they are told. They all need to be given exposure, because stories make us who we are and can provide so much comfort and solitude to those who may be struggling with the same issues as the storytellers are.
Obviously, I don't have anything outlined or written down. I personally would love to talk to more people in the trans community and to people who don't necessarily follow the binary. I'd love to interview people of all races and creeds and ethnicities who happen to be LGBT. These kinds of projects are what I've put off for a long time, mostly because I was afraid I'd be coming in as an outsider. Like I was nosing my way into this world that I wasn't expected to connect to or understand. Like I was approaching this with a lot of ignorance and doubt, and, if you had asked me about the queer community back in 2011, I would have been ignorant and doubtful about certain facets of it. I have grown, and changed, a lot, and I think I still have a lot to learn and discover. Figuring out who I am and how to express myself has been one Hell of a journey. And I don't think it's over yet.
Whew. Okay, I think that's enough personal grandstanding for now. If you are a reader who happens to find some of my ideas interesting, you are absolutely more than welcome to reach out to me in terms of questions or potential project collaboration. Please do not think I know everything - I don't. I am one person, and my experiences are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect anyone else's. If you have more questions about my gender identity and genderfluidity, you can email me or reply to this blog post, and I will do my best to answer your questions as efficiently and as informatively as possible. Once again, I appreciate each and every one of you who read my introspection, or even read my blog regularly, or just are there for me no matter what. I don't know how I could be the writer or person I am today without you.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
Okay. Now that that's done with, uh...not much to report this week, really. My new teaching job is wonderful. It's nice to be making more money, of course, but it's also nice to be working in an incredible environment with amazing teachers and insanely talented and smart kids, and just being able to work with all of them is just so much fun. I'm learning a lot about improving my craft, about engaging my students and just growing more as a teacher. Sonoma State's credential program has definitely helped me, I won't deny that. But the one-on-one structure at my job, to me, encourages a lot more welcoming and intimate classroom environment between the teacher and the student. I get to bond more with these kids and help them out and develop a class that is meaningful to them, instead of worrying about how I'm going to make a class engaging for all thirty students taking it at a public school.
Don't get me wrong - I am not, in any way, putting down the public school system or a larger classroom structure. I'm just saying that being able to work in an alternative educational institution is, well...educational. And I'm tucking a lot more tools into my teaching utility belt and practicing more teaching strategies and it's just awesome. So I'm looking forward to what's to come in my next teaching adventures.
Writing has taken a little bit of a backseat in my life, unfortunately - at least, the larger writing projects. Obviously, I can still maintain and update this blog daily, and the fact that I have been doing this for almost four years without really hitting a wall means a lot to me. It means I've developed a sort of discipline to my writing, a minimum expectation as to what I should complete every day. I have written, let's be real here, probably over one thousand poems ever since I started this blog in 2011. That's amazing. And while maybe my Storytellers can be very short or my poetry might be a bit stiff or hackneyed on some nights, I'm still writing. And that's important.
So in terms of projects, I do have ideas for either a movie script or a play. Something that focuses a lot more on gender identity and maybe the trans community. I've had a lot of peers scratch their heads when I ask them whether or not I should be considered someone under the trans umbrella, similar to how being gay puts you under the queer umbrella. But I think that telling stories about people who are non-binary or genderqueer or genderfluid shouldn't be de-prioritized. Sometimes, it's really easy to block out people's stories for the sake of others' - for example, we're focusing a lot on same-sex marriage, but not really on LGBT+ youth who are homeless. Or we're celebrating Caitlyn Jenner, but we're not exactly talking about the abuse or potential deaths of trans people who may not be as privileged. I do agree that sometimes, priorities can be skewed. I also think that stories should have an equal platform in when and how they are told. They all need to be given exposure, because stories make us who we are and can provide so much comfort and solitude to those who may be struggling with the same issues as the storytellers are.
Obviously, I don't have anything outlined or written down. I personally would love to talk to more people in the trans community and to people who don't necessarily follow the binary. I'd love to interview people of all races and creeds and ethnicities who happen to be LGBT. These kinds of projects are what I've put off for a long time, mostly because I was afraid I'd be coming in as an outsider. Like I was nosing my way into this world that I wasn't expected to connect to or understand. Like I was approaching this with a lot of ignorance and doubt, and, if you had asked me about the queer community back in 2011, I would have been ignorant and doubtful about certain facets of it. I have grown, and changed, a lot, and I think I still have a lot to learn and discover. Figuring out who I am and how to express myself has been one Hell of a journey. And I don't think it's over yet.
Whew. Okay, I think that's enough personal grandstanding for now. If you are a reader who happens to find some of my ideas interesting, you are absolutely more than welcome to reach out to me in terms of questions or potential project collaboration. Please do not think I know everything - I don't. I am one person, and my experiences are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect anyone else's. If you have more questions about my gender identity and genderfluidity, you can email me or reply to this blog post, and I will do my best to answer your questions as efficiently and as informatively as possible. Once again, I appreciate each and every one of you who read my introspection, or even read my blog regularly, or just are there for me no matter what. I don't know how I could be the writer or person I am today without you.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
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