I was asked to speak to 6-8th graders about college, and how it’s never too early to start thinking about college.
Let’s just say, I WAS NERVOUS. Belly-ache, sweaty palms, dry-mouth nervous.
I’ve never really thought I was a shy (or even) nervous person, and all throughout grad school, I told myself I just wasn’t really interested in reading my poetry/fiction to an audience. Could this be because I was scared? I’m not entirely sure that nerves were the sole reason, but perhaps that I didn’t feel confident in my work or that I simply wasn’t ready to share my voice, my spoken version of my writing.
I think I am going to set a few goals about writing:
- Write more frequently. not just blog (although this has been a great outlet and a way to keep up on a consistent-ish writing schedule).
- Send out my work. (Prow, I’m calling you out to keep on me!)
- Read my work (to my 8 month old, then maybe to my husband, then maybe to coco-she’s my biggest critic).
- Write more freely, without erasing and editing each line as I create it. I think I need to let it flow once in a while and then come back to it!
Oh ya, about the public speaking.
Junior High Students are brutal. They are in that stage where college isn’t an imminent thought like it is for High School Students and they aren’t as ready to please and behave as elementary school kids. They are at an awkward stage in life (Oh, how I remember that body-changing, hormone-filled time of finding one’s identity…Until high school happens). But there were some really great questions amongst the silly questions. I definitely saw a few wide-eyed students that genuinely seemed interested in what the speakers had to say. I’m glad I did it because I overcame a slight anxiety about public speaking and I feel that it is important to inform children about their options in regards to college.
(The school also asked me to come back for career day! lol.)
From this day forward,
MacCollege Recruit.
from this day forward 