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Last week’s Saturday post wasn’t really about goals. It was a massive rant about something that was driving me to panic attacks. Graduate school would be a massive undertaking and it wasn’t clear if it would pay off. I had also forgotten that it was one of many requirements for a lifetime teaching certification, so I’ve been heavily weighing my options. One person pointed out that the Covid-19 situation adds more chaos to my life because schools are on funky schedules. As it stands, my son and I aren’t on matching ones. This means, I’d only get to spend time with him a few evenings a week and the occasional weekend. If I was doing graduate school then that would shrink down to barely any father/son time. With him stepping into middle school, I feel that he needs me to be around as much as possible. So, I’m going to push graduate school back to the spring, which gives me more time to figure stuff out.
That isn’t to say I’ll definitely go, which has upset some people. Working as a TA is something I enjoy, but I know a full-time teacher gig is more money. Yet, as someone said, if I’m only doing it for the money then I probably shouldn’t be a teacher. That’s definitely a factor to consider. Once Covid-19 calms down, I can look into other things like teaching writing and poetry in a local ‘continuing education’ program or maybe doing an occasional weekend seminar on creative writing through a college. There are plenty of those around and I’ve seen other authors do so. Something to consider once I finish checking all paths to full teacher certification and weighing my options.
Enough about all that though. I prepared War of Nytefall: Ravenous for a Labor Day weekend release. I’ll be hitting publish on September 4th and sending out the emails to volunteers that afternoon. The ‘book is live’ post will be done that evening and stickied throughout the weekend. I need to figure out if I want to mention Legends of Windemere in it this time and what I should grab for a short teaser. I’m excited about this even though the books don’t move since it means I’m 3 books away from publishing another full series. I might not make money, but I’m definitely productive. I only have the finale, War of Nytefall: Eulogy, to write and I’m starting that after this week. If I can publish the last 3 throughout 2021 then 2022 will see the arrival of Darwin Slepsnor. I get all of next year to outline and write his stories as well as doing Do I Need to Use a Dragon? (Fantasy Writing Tips). This sounds like a decent plan to me and I’m really hoping it works out.
Work this week was entirely editing War of Nytefall: Savagery, which I finished last night. That means I can relax this weekend. I got two outings with my son this past week too, which were fun. The pool didn’t work out because it was too cold, so we played catch, board games, and he did another drawing. That one won’t be in tomorrow’s post since there are more to the set. We had another afternoon of playing video games, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Next week he is back here, so we are going to have be running around and having fun. It’s getting closer to school, which is proving to be fairly stressful already because of the pandemic. I want to enjoy what we’re doing, which will include a zoo trip that I already reserved. A few other places are doing similar things with outdoor only events and limited attendance. The hardest part is going to be keeping up with the munchkin, but it’s worth it.
There isn’t much else that I’m planning this week. I’m going to do more of the December blog posts, which I’m not as worried about now. With graduate school being pushed back, I will have more free time the next few months. I’m still going to schedule it all because it clears more writing time. By doing 3 chapter sections a day, it will take 22 days to finish War of Nytefall: Eulogy and I’ve got 9 completely open ones coming up for school begins. I’d love to finish Clyde’s adventures before 2021 even though it means I will retire another cast of characters. This one has been rougher since I had to write a love story arc in the midst of a divorce, but that might have made it stronger. I got to explore some fairly dark themes too, which really appear in Ravenous. Hope people check that out when the time comes.
Well, that’s really all that happened this week and what I’m planning. Nothing extremely excited, but I might add any cool zoo pictures next Saturday. We’re hoping to see these animals called dholes, which are also known as Indian Wild Dogs. They were either hiding or off display when we went before the pandemic hit. Fingers crossed.
Goals of the week?
- Outline more for The Ether Thief: Punctured Soul.
- Hang out with friends for a day.
- Watch more ‘That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime’. Maybe I should make a post about all the shows I finished watching. Forgot about those. Perhaps next Saturday.
- (All previous goals were for weekend.) Father/son time once he returns.
- Work on December blog posts when the munchkin is asleep.
- Should I start looking at plot breakdowns for Tales of the Slumberlord already? It’s another 8 volume series, but the overarching plot is rather vague as Darwin stumbles into various destinies to screw up. It’s actually been a long time since I made a chapter by chapter outline from scratch. Can I still do it? This should be where I because this goal is getting pretty long.
- Get a good night’s sleep.
Legends of Windemere 
Charles: I had a few choices like that as my kids were growing up. I always chose in favor of the children and have never regretted it, so don’t worry!
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Thanks. It’s a little easier to swallow now. People are still angry. They think my entire role in life is to make money. It’s why they only gave lip service to my writing. They only want me to do what is ‘profitable’.
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That had to be a tough decision, and I know you have a lot of external pressure. Hope it works out for the best and you can show them all.
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Thanks. Fingers crossed. Pretty much all I can do. Seems I can only show some of them if I get rich.
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I think the idea of getting more time to sort things out is a good one. I hope you have a super week.
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Thanks. Hope you’re having a super weekend and week too.
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Thank you.
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This is a tough decision to make, Charles. When I was getting my teaching credential, it was during a time of teacher shortage. I didn’t have to do full time student teaching with no pay, instead the university had a program to allow me to teach and the supervisor came to observe me three times per semester. By the end of the year, I got my preliminary credential good for five years subject to renewal with additional requirements.
Getting a teaching credential is more than just money. I’m retired now. Without the credential, I wouldn’t have had the security of retirement from State Teacher Retirement System.
When I went into school administration, I had cancer a couple years before retirement. Administrators have no job security, but teachers have union. Because of declining enrollment, 21 new teachers got laid off and many administrators went back to the classrooms. I was one of them. Because of the union, I took 6 months off for treatment without losing my job.
You may have other job options. I’m just saying a credential teaching job is more secure if you look at your future career. Unless you never want to teach. Getting a credential is not a bad idea. Of course timing is the essence. Only you know what is the best timing for you. Your son is more important to you right now. You could wait and still get your credential eventually.
Some of my friends home schooled then went into teach late in life. One person had to work until 67 to get a reasonable retirement. I worked one more year after cancer. It was extremely difficult but I made it. It made a big difference in my retirement especially people live longer these days (normally).
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I’m a certified TA, so I’m in the retirement system too. It would just mean more money if I was a teacher. The problem with the credential path is that it requires a lot that I might not be able to do. 3 years of teaching in my field? No way to work as a TA where I get benefits if I’m running around as a substitute. That’s if I can even get enough openings in literacy/special education. I would have 5 years to do that, get a masters, take all the tests, and do a video of me teaching a class for 45 minutes after putting in a thorough plan. This is to enter a pool of thousands looking for teaching jobs. I’ve heard people talk about a teacher shortage for over 10 years and I think it’s actually the opposite. So, the chance of me getting a full teaching job isn’t as high as it used to be.
I don’t even know if I’d want to do this later if it requires that I leave my current job or any job. That means I sacrifice money to pay the bills and benefits for a 3-4 month class. There’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to get another job after that, so it’s too big a risk. Again, this is for the minute possibility of me getting a job. I can’t relocate either because then I’d be giving up my half of the custody. By the time that situation is over, I’ll be about 47 or 48.
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I know the path to credential teaching is different than when I started teaching.
My husband’s nephew got his master’s degree and a credential but couldn’t get a job. He eventually got a job in another state and he went. He was young and single, so it was a different story.
Another friend substitute for one year and never got a full time offer. He ended up working in a workers comp office.
There’s no guarantee for a job after you get your credential, like my husband’s nephew.
I understand the custody issue. My ex got a teaching job in another state and I had my daughter full time except holidays. But he came back after one year. He methodically got more and more custody time until he took my daughter away. It was ages ago and he got cancer and just passed last month.
Your son is more important to you than anything right now. I guess keep what you have right now and make small moves toward a better tomorrow.
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It’s that lack of even a remote guarantee and meeting so many who couldn’t find anything that gives me doubts. To put in so much work and money while sacrificing time with my son then get nothing would be crushing. I’ve followed so many paths that ended that way too.
Sorry about your daughter and what happened. That’s actually what I fear. The current schedule is a mess because of covid too. So, it’s a ton of stress in that arena alone. Grad school would really be throwing fuel on the anxiety attack fire. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find an alternate path. Be nice of the educator preparation program I did in Florida counted for something.
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In times like these, make the least move possible.
I would have done anything to keep my daughter, but the court system sucks.
My daughter and I are closer than ever in the last 17 years. Thank goodness. I’m going to see my granddaughters in less than a week.
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Good to hear that it worked out. Sounds like a fun trip coming.
Courts are definitely rough. I was told by a lot of people that being the father meant I had an uphill battle.
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There’s a Father’s Right (initiative?) in California. My attorney advertised for that. I didn’t know when I hired him. Some attorneys make friends with Ijudges. Then my final judge was a drunk. They all added up.
I hope you never have to go to court. Try to maintain a stable situation. Don’t let her have any excuse to acuse you of anything. I hop she is working. My ex wanted more money from me.
Your relationship with your son is important. He knows you love him.
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Thanks. So far, things are stable. The pandemic makes things a challenge. Never heard of Father’s Right. Not sure it’s a thing here in New York.
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Good, as long as things are stable, hopefully the other things can be managed. I’m glad to see cases in New York are going down. It’s the 50th from top.
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We’ll see if that holds once schools reopen. I’m worried people have become too complacent and think this whole thing is over.
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That was exactly what happened in some area, even in CA. So after the announcement of reopening for 3 or 4 weeks, the Governor took one step back for a month, and now gradually reopen.
LAUSD which is the second largest school district with NY having the largest, will have full time online classes.
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Plans are being decided by district here. So, we’ll see how that goes.
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Yes, we just have to wait and see.
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Miriam, you make a great point about whether a particular position includes union membership. As a para, in my district, I am a union member and extremely grateful. My husband’s company went through a merger and his benefits changed, but my union benefits remained consistent. In the current pandemic, the union has been very involved in protecting us as workers and making sure our concerns are addressed in the coming school year.
Charles, my advice would be to take the gap time and really observe the teachers at your school. Look at all the responsibilities they have, from planning to meeting with parents to actually teaching. You already have a greater responsibility with a special-needs child. How stressed would you be if you had to do the full job of teaching?
For that matter, when your family members insist you should be doing something — anything — you can remind them that your child is your priority. Don’t they want what’s best for the child?
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I’m a union member as a TA right now. I’ve been observing for a while too. I don’t know if I could handle all the extra stuff along with single-parenting. It would leave me with no time to myself and a lot of exhaustion at this point. As for my family, some talk as if I can just hand my son over to them while I work. I think it stems from that archaic chestnut where fathers are only around for money and manual labor while mothers do the parenting. They forget that me not being around for my son can cost me custody rights even if things are signed off on. We can always head to court if one of us thinks the other isn’t holding up their end of things.
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I’m glad you had a more positive week, and were able to push graduate school back so you have time to figure out if it’s really what you want to do, not to mention have time for writing and your son. Good luck with the upcoming book release… I’m looking forward to reading the next instalment of the series.
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Thanks. I’m excited about the book release and it happens right before I go back to work too. Means one less thing to stress about. I’m really thinking graduate school won’t be a good fit for me too. It doesn’t guarantee a job or even a certificate if I can’t get the other things done in time. Maybe down the road, but definitely won’t work now. People are angry because it means I won’t be making more money. Although, some of these are the same people who argued that I made no money on books, but they never bothered to buy them either. So, it isn’t like that group has ever been any help.
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That particular group of people sounds like they won’t be happy no matter what you do.
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Not unless I follow them exactly.
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