I’ve been grumpy and it’s shown in my recent posts, so I love to reset with a slice about why I do this challenge, why I do the Slice of Life. and why I write in general. Now I’m sure I didn’t a post like this last year or at some point, but I feel the need right now because of all the stuff going down.

#youwritebecauseyoulikewords

Well, kind of, but it is always so much more than that:

  • I write to relieve the stress in my brain. There are days when I cannot think of anything to write about and I just start. Those days are few and far between. Lately, I’ve had so much in my brain because of all the jackassery going on in our country right now. Just tonight, are republican “leaders” have jumped on the DeSantis crazy train and are going directly after our LGBTQ youth. It’s scary just how red our state has become in a relatively short period of time.

  • I write to give myself a voice. I wrote about change yesterday and it got some intense reactions, some that I didn’t expect. Sometimes, these posts surprise me because I’m just some middle-aged dude who just happens to have a blog. I never expect my posts to resinate with people, yet, when they do, it feels really cool.

#projectingyourvoiceisfun

  • I write for humor. Some people might see the #hashtags I put in my writing as silly or trite, but for me, they are my internal monolog, that voice in my head giving those sarcastic remarks that I so want to deliver, but cannot because I’m not that guy. Writing gives me that voice that is a bit sharper.

#hellyes

  • I write to be political. In 2015, I wrote a blog titled “A Teacher Voice“, a piece on how we need to be more vocal for our profession. It got picked up by our teacher union and was my most viewed piece of writing, which was pretty cool. Sadly, it was a precursor for all the nonsense that’s happened since. We have teachers voting for people who have gutted our bargaining rights, passed a massive voucher plan, and look down on those in the profession. I write for those who don’t have a voice, who are afraid of what happens when someone “finds their blog”. I’ve got an awesome administrator and again, I’m some dude with a blog, and my 52 followers are awesome, but a small group. They really could care less what I write about, as long as I’m writing!

#hahayouhave72followeryougoofball

  • I write because I’m a teacher, and we are all writing teachers. While I groan when I see that in the text, it is true. Every year, I trot this blog out and show the kids the places this blog has been seen. I show them how many times I’ve clicked submit. I show them comments from around the world. That’s how you model success, but do it yourself. I’ve grown to love this outlet, even though I’m always thinking about shutting it down. When I hear a student talking about a blog they’ve written or one they’ve read of a classmate, it does my body good! 🙂

So, why do you write? What brings you here? What keeps you coming back? I’ve love find out!

And thank you. Sometimes, it is hard to hit that submit button when you’ve shared a piece of your soul. To know that people do read this drivel does my heart good. You are all good people and when I win the lottery, I’m have one heck of a writer’s conference!

#youcannotwinifyoudontplay

Right again, sarcastic inner monolog! 🙂