Obligatory Post: I Am Back To School Starting Today. Truth: I Have Never Left School. It Simply Continues.

It's a Tuesday. This is my first day of a new semester and Tuesday's are my long days. Office during the day and back-to-back courses in the evening...and I get out late.

Still, I have to laugh. Once upon a time my days were filled with 150 kids for six hours every day. There was rarely a moment to think, to plan, to gather ideas, to reflect, or to build. It was survival of the fittest and it began on day one.

Yes, my life is still as hectic, but it's a different kind of hectic. The stress comes from different angles and I have to say, "It's a much more selfish lifestyle." Before, my every moment awake was spent worrying about the lives of kids, my classroom, the future of my school, and my ability to keep up the pace.

Now, my every moment is spent worrying about the ways schools hinder learning and keep teachers from doing what is best for student writers. I am constantly admiring how classroom teachers keep the pace, given the ways our country has turned against them.

But I need to be optimistic and hopeful. I need to keep my mind on doing the work that will make the world a better place.

Today, it begins with in-service and pre-service graduate students at Fairfield University. Sadly, I forgot to buy apples to celebrate another year. Ah, but September is here and apple season is upon us once again.