Well, I'm concerned. One of my readers sent me mail about "Temptation", fairly distressed. I'm wondering if I should take it down. In fact, I'm wondering if I should take down all three of the Puritan novellettes -- they're not really what I consider art, after all. They were written on contract, to fulfill very specific needs of the magazine (along with "Making the Sale"). Should they really be up there with my other work? Are they representative? Are they likely to turn people off, or send them away? Kevin's always thought I shouldn't have those up there at all, since they're basically purely commercial, even if I do have fun with some of them. Maybe I should just announce in the journal when I have one of them done, and send copies to those who want it. It's not as if I publish them in print with my name on them. Ick. I'm taking them down today, I think, and then I'll think about it. I may put them back. Please let me know what you think.
If you haven't read "Temptation" yet and want to, e-mail me.
In other news, yesterday's meetings and proctoring of placement exams went well, as did today's. I've been thinking about the ethics of discussing being a TA here in the journal, and I think after Monday, I will be trying not to mention it. There are multiple reasons for this, but the most important is that even if I don't mention a student's name, sie may still be able to figure out that it was hir I was discussing when I complained about what a rough session it had been. Heck, even if it wasn't hir, sie may well assume it was. That seems a breach of professional ethics, so I'm going to refrain from discussing it at all. At the end of the year, I may post a reflection on the process, and I may at times discuss teaching if I can sufficiently distance it from my specifics.
For now, I will just leave you with a short free write we did in training yesterday, a contemplation of what we were looking forward to in the next year.
I want to know if I'm a good teacher. Will I love teaching as much as I think I will? Will I give my students the energy and attention they deserve? I want to be patient with them, and aware of their needs. I want to watch understanding rise in their eyes. I hope to take a quiet pride in doing good, valuable work -- without becoming arrogant or condescending. I must remember that I am always learning too.
I'm curious about the way different people's minds work -- about what paths I can help my students walk to achieve their goals. I want to learn specifics, many different teaching methods.
Eventually, I want to teach both literature and writing. Lit so I can share books I love, and the reasons I love them, and find out what my students think of them. Creative writing so they can better share what is within them.
I want to help people, most of all. Writing is where I have the most expertise -- this is what I know. I hope to enjoy sharing it.