Sallying Forth

     This journey, still in it's infancy, is quickly becoming one of self-discovery. My organizational skills are being pushed to the limit. I thought that taking two grad school classes while working with two small children was an impossibility last year. I quickly found that I adapted to that situation. Surely taking one class this semester would be much easier. But, much like in any science class I've ever had to take, I'm wrong again.

     I'm entering into my third year teaching freshmen, so I thought I'd be comfortable with the material. Wrong. A brand new curriculum with new textbooks, new remedial software, and a new writing program were bundled together with a new building, new principal, and two new vice principals. Everything has been going well so far, but it's a lot to have to adjust to at once. I also just found out yesterday that a class was created to accommodate ten extra kids. Guess who was asked to teach it? I'll be compensated (and compensated well) to take it over, and it's a good group of kids, so it shouldn't be too much stress (fingers crossed).

     I also underestimated the amount of work that would be going into my thesis. It's definitely not too difficult or boring, but it does command a lot of time. Time I haven't quite figured out how to carve out. Once we get a few more weeks into the year and the new normal is established it should fall into place, but until then I have to make due. The few couple of weeks of lesson plans took three to four hours, but now they only take one.

     I've gathered almost all of the sources I'll need for my lit review, as well as writing how I plan to use them. I just need to organize them together in the groupings in which they will be used. There is so much cool stuff about the eerie and unsettling things that scare us. I'm making a conscious effort to stay away from the jump scares and fears of bodily harm. Instead I'm focusing on the deeply troubling things that strike at our primal fears and leave us with a creepy feeling.

     I've found a lot of material that delves into why we force ourselves into such situations. Especially during this time of year, people go out of their way to be terrified. Haunted hayrides and houses have popped up all over. Adventurous types even explore abandoned locations, which can unfortunately lead to injury.

     Debbie dropped me a note to check in and it sounds like things are going really well for her. I look forward to meeting with everyone in a few weeks and reading what they have while (hopefully) sharing what I've got.