Blog

I wasn’t going to post this week, but I just read this article about the 50% college drop-out rate. I have been ranting about this for years, and it was a major motivation for the writing of CATALYST. We are very good at getting kids into college in America. We suck at preparing them to actually succeed in college and graduate, and we do a lousy job helping them choose the college that is right for them!!!!! (Read my essay about this.)

:pauses to wipe spittle off mouth::

How do we do this better? How do we help kids choose the right school? What tools do they need that they are not getting now?

Tomorrow is a big extended-family gig, then I’m off to NCTE, camera in hand. Tune in this weekend for photos.

I am taking this week off from LJ updates to focus on my revisions. I’ll check back in here around Thanksgiving.

On Friday, I leave for Pittsburgh for the National Council of Teachers of English annual conference. This is one of my very favorite conferences to attend and I am stoked. If you see me there, please say hi. Here’s where you can find me:

Fri. 11/18, 2:30-5pm: Program – Beat Bullying with Books: Teens and Character Meet on Common Ground. Also on the panel will be authors Graham Salisbury and James Howe. C.J. Bott, author of The Bully in the Book and in the Classroom, put this presentation together. She has a world of experience dealing with bullying and intimidation issues in schools. If you ever get the chance to hear her speak, take it.

5-6pm: Signing at the Penguin Young Readers Booth #610

Sat. 11/19, 9-10am Signing at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #633
10-11am Signing at Simon & Schuster Booth #811-815
11-noon Signing at Demco Booth #424-426

Sun. 11/20, 6 pm ALAN reception, Westin Pittsburgh, Westmoreland Room

Mon. 11/21, holed up in hotel room writing

Tues. 11/22, 8:30 am ALAN Program, Westin Pittsburgh, Allegheny Room
10 am drive to Millersville to pick up Meredith!!

First things first. Many, many thank yous to librarians Nettie and Suzanne for all their hospitality, and the cool and friendly students of Schenectady High School for making my visit on Thursday the highlight of a great week.

As I drove home on the Thruway Thursday night I kept thinking about all the people I met during the week – it really was a terrific experience. And then I realized I had a million thank you notes to write. And then it started to snow, which gave me a good reason to avoid thinking about the thank you notes.

Yesterday and today I have been the BH’s carpenter assistant, scraping spackle off of beams and other silly jobs that make me feel important. He redid part of the kitchen while I was out of town (it looks amazing). There is a big push to finish up some house projects before Thanksgiving. That’s why there is a nice guy painting the living room, a guy in the garage hammering on something, and a husband sawing heavenknowswhat. (BH has promised a quiet day tomorrow so I can get the thank you notes done and go back to work on the final revision.)

Now I have I find my power sander (yay!) and my polyurethane brush.

So I spoke in the Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa High School today. Kept thinking about the name “Burnt Hills” which some people told me had a connection to local Indian tribes. The weather here has turned November – cold rain, blustery winds. The inside of the school was warm and the students and teachers all really sweet. I apologize to the girls who wanted me to sign their arms. It just didn’t seem like the right thing to do. Most of the groups I spoke to were small (which makes for a more effective presentation). The big group I spoke to in the auditorium was made much easier by one of the highest quality wireless microphones it has ever been my pleasure to wear.

I was feeling so much better today I did not eat chicken soup. I picked something off a Chinese menu. Not sure what it was. I suspect the translation was “Noodles, Meat & Veggies cooked with volcanic hot sauces and spices that cause burps of flames.” When I wasn’t crying from the heat, it tasted good. And it did not take much to fill me up.

If you like reading about writers’ spaces, this article is for you.

I’d like to state for the record that I made it as an awakeish person all the way until 8pm last night. Doubtful I’ll do it tonight, though.

Loads of fun at Draper Middle School today. Many thanks to Mary, Marie, and Greg the Math teacher for making me feel right at home. After the visit I was able to squeeze in a cup of coffee with my friend Coleen Paratore and catch up with her. That was a blast. She introduced me to the nice people at Book House. Readers, friends, and an independent bookseller. If only BH was here, it would have been the perfect day.

My cold has retreated slightly, thanks to last night’s obscene amount of sleep and regular dosing with chicken soup.

I’ve been reading a lot about various battle strategies during the American Revolution. It didn’t matter how well anyone planned things out, seems to me. Once the bullets started flying, it always turned into a mess. But they kept trying.

A lot of you had to learn about the Revolution in school. What do you remember about it? Was it interesting or boring?