And Here I Am, Off to 41st Grade Today - One Would Think I Could Get a Break From School

It all began with Ms. Saladino (eat a salad, play with Fred Flinstone's Dino) in Clarks Mills (Westmoreland), New York. Soon after, North Syracuse Central Schools took care of me - 1st thru 12th grade - where I graduated as a Northstar in 1990.

Tassel turned, a move to Binghamton University and 4 years there studying literature and preparing for an independent life.

Immediately, I moved to University of Louisville to do a Masters, then stayed another two years to do another Masters, before I took a job teaching high school English. That lasted over a decade, then I knew I wanted to returned to school again...this time, for a doctorate at Syracuse University.

Before, however, I attended Bread Loaf School of English in Vermont and Santa Fe, studied at Cambridge University, had fun teaching in Denmark, and did a Fulbright Memorial in Tokyo, Japan.

This, of course, landed me to the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions at Fairfield University where I direct the Connecticut Writing Project and am able to invest in K-12 youth, undergraduates, graduate students, teachers and administrators.

This is my 41st year straight - without a pause - of being in school. I realize my role has switched a lot, but I am always learning, so it has been a constant journey.

41 fast years, with 22 years at the helm. You'd think I'd know something about something by now, but I feel I'm getting sillier and sillier every year.

Here's to the 2018-2019 school year (I'm still not finished with the 2017-2018 one, but that's the job of a NWP Director). We got this.