at ease

Where do you feel most at ease? I miss being in the classroom because when I’m teaching, I feel like my best version of myself. I love talking to kids about my books, and this visit to BCS (pictured above) was fantastic—plus they sent me an awesome thank-you letter. But presenting on my books is different than designing a lesson on material that’s not mine. Today I had my first class with the amazing middle grade students at Brooklyn Prospect Charter School. So many hands in the air! And their signals—I LOVE the hand signals they make whenever they agree or disagree with a classmate. No one’s talking over anyone else, there’s no arguing—it’s so efficient! And the students were thoughtful and earnest as we talked about home, humanity, and history…it’s very different leading a discussion with preteens rather than (young) adults, but still satisfying to see students so engaged. I intend to use this same lesson plan with my adult class, though I’m getting worried about enrollment. I need to reach out to some public libraries and churches this week. I really want the class to be intergenerational. In my experience, having elders in the class is always a plus—they teach as much as they learn…