Toddler woke up at 5:30 this morning. But that’s OK. Because I’ll be on sabbatical for the 2022-23 academic year. Today, my summer course wraps up, feedback has been sent along to students, grades will be submitted soon, and within a few days my university email begins a long hibernation.
Sure, there are loose threads. Quite a few projects and papers aren’t done. It’ll all find my attention, at some point. The transition into new rhythms and places and priorities has already begun, though today marks that point when I can finally step away from day-to-day university responsibilities.
We left Denver at the end of June. Ebony was invited to teach comics at the California College of the Arts, in San Francisco, for the month of July. So the toddler and I have been visiting with my mom in Pasadena. Because of the pandemic, our toddler hasn’t spent much time with any of his grandparents. This past month with grandma has been lovely. In a few days, we jump to the East Coast for vacation with family before settling in Cambridge.
And that’s the really really big news, in case you missed it. This fall, Ebony joins the Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s 2022-23 class of fellows as the Mary I. Bunting Institute Fellow.
I’m thrilled for Ebony. Her successes and new projects are very exciting. And I really look forward to the change of pace and scenery for our family. We’ve rented a small apartment in Cambridge located a few blocks from our toddler’s new preschool and about a mile from Harvard’s campus. We’ll be in Cambridge through June of next summer. Do let me know if you’re in or around Boston, it’ll be nice to connect with old friends, colleagues, and new opportunities.
And what do I have planned for sabbatical?
First, I need to rest. Disconnect a bit. Read a novel.
Second, I will be writing my next book. Yes, it’s about annotation. And also learning and literacy, and new ways of reading and writing and resisting and imagining when notes are added to texts. My initial proposal is currently under review, and I’ll share more substantive updates as the process moves forward.
Third, I will be hanging out with a great group of educators in Rhode Island at St. George’s School as I serve as the Merck Center for Teaching Connected Learning Scholar in Residence. In this role, I will lead a year-long professional development initiative exploring how the principles and practices of connected learning can further inform new efforts for their school, educators, and students.
Here’s to new adventures. Forward.
