It’s Going…

I’d have to confirm by looking at a calendar, but I think we finished our third full week of school. It could be the fourth; starting on a Thursday throws any sort of accurate count way off.

Anyway, last weekend was spent with household chores and working, BUT I did get a night out with the girls! And it was just what I needed. We escaped the Seven Deadly Sins, then enjoyed laughing and catching up at dinner. I felt like my old self again, or close to it. I know the beginning of the school year is hard, year 1 or year 34, but remembering how it feels is a totally different story.

It has been getting a bit easier. Last weekend was the last weekend I plan to spend on CKLA planning for a while. I am giving myself grace when planning and teaching those lessons, as there are few of us who teach a combo class and have to split the time efficiently. So I won’t move along as quickly as the other teachers on my teams. I have to be OK with it, or we’d never have fun in class. And keeping kids engaged is the key to their learning. I know they won’t find everything exciting and fun, but I have a few students who do enjoy a good math test!

Anyway, we are starting book clubs this week. We chose our books on Friday, and though it will be done primarily as homework, my class was excited! About homework! No, not really. I’m not that naive. They were excited to read a real book, from start to finish, not a few carefully selected chapters of a random nonfiction text. They will get to work with each other, discussing and collaborating. THIS is what’s been missing in my classroom reading lessons, and now it’s back. Yes, it’s more for me to juggle, but it’s totally worth the time spent!

Bob and I came up to the cabin for a long weekend. We explored a bit on Saturday, then came back to the cabin and worked on projects. For me that meant cleaning and food prep, as we had a dinner guest arriving soon. We relaxed and talked for hours, and it was a great evening. Continuing our “projects” on Saturday included a few errands, more cleaning, and finally some time to read and research. And that was time well spent!

I have been stuck for a while. Mentally and creatively, if these ideas are different. I wanted to find a story at the Empire Mine, but what I found in my research was disappointing. There were a lot of women there, but most were more well-to-do, and not the hard working folk I wanted to capture in my story. Plus I have been too tired in the afternoons and weekends to even open my manuscript doc. A new school year will do that to ya!

BUT… I finally got to a useful chapter in They Saw the Elephant yesterday. I wanted to learn more about the working women of the gold rush; the boarding house owners, cooks, bakers, and the like. I struck gold! Pun intended, for sure!

I may not be able to tell about one real woman in Grass Valley, but I can certainly create the character I want. I am a writer, after all. She will have the attributes of these real heroines of the gold rush, capturing their pluckiness, intelligence, willingness to work hard, and strong will. Finally I can move on; I just need to make the time. Not being too tired to think is the challenge at this point in the school year. But I will manage it; again, the only deadline is in my head.

Right now we’re in the sunrise of the school year. It’s a bit dark, yet hold a lot of promise. Each day is better than the day before, and soon we’ll be basking in the rays. There’s a lot to come, and I am looking forward to the adventure.

Until next time…