OK. It seems a but dramatic - a bit over-the-top - to title my first blog post "The Saga Begins". I title my first lesson in my Advanced Placement U.S. History class "The Saga Begins" as well. It insinuates that something important is about to happen; a long, complex journey that cannot be easily understood if one were to just passively observe it. Like in most classes, students will not completely appreciate the intricacies of a saga until they study it, question it, struggle with it, connect with it, and hopefully enjoy it in the end. This can be true in the study of the history of the American people, the complexities of Shakespeare, or the wisdom of Thoreau. Pick your subject and there is a saga to experience somewhere.
My Blog title is The Epic Adventure. Really, it is just a synonym for a saga, but adventures, sagas, and the like must have a beginning. Any good adventure worth reading in a novel or watching on film must, once begun have a struggle worthy of our attention and concern. I suppose that is what I intend this blog to be. It starts here and from here I have my struggles, triumphs, and side-stories. The man that hired me about ten years ago, used to call the story of the American people "the ongoing saga, the epic adventure". It was catchy, albeit dramatic, and like my title a bit over-the-top. But I stole it. I use it in my class and I will use it here.
I am probably a quarter to a third of the way through my teaching career and I am finding myself at a fantastic transition. I have adopted a 1:1 program which is, on one hand, an amazing thrill to be part of a movement in education with so much potential to transform learning, and on the other, the most stressful first two weeks of school I can remember. I have doubts and setbacks that make me want to ripoff my ears (I'm bald - there's no hair to rip out), and in the first few days I have seen some small victories - like the one shot on the 18th hole that convinces the golfer to believe enough in himself that he will try it again someday rather than give up. So, I consider this transition to be part of my adventure. The one worth reading about and the one I hope with which someone will connect.
