Well, I’ve done it. I left a stable job, a job which—despite its long list of downs—had some ups that I think I’ll miss forever. I left the safety of working for Someone Else, of being Part of an Institution, where Someone Else will take care of the nitty gritty of life (like taxes.) I’ve left it all!

But as a really insightful lady told me recently, teaching need not only happen in a classroom, and this could be an opportunity for me to show my students what “taking a leap of faith” looks like.

And that’s exactly what Quill & Quatrain is about. It’s about learning—no matter your age, or gender, or anything else in your background—but more importantly, it’s about (my idiosyncratic version of) living. It’s about living in a way which involves thinking about the world around us, living lives filled with words, and living in a way which feels true to oneself and to others.

I’m both excited and terrified to be embarking on this new writer’s life, and I’m glad you’re here with me!

Because Quill & Quatrain is also about new beginnings, and I’m hoping you will join me in shaping this new blog. I imagine a future where Quill & Quatrain becomes a valuable resource for students, educators, and even parents alike; where people can safely and frankly discuss the realities of student (and teacher) life; where we share about books, movies, and games which we love or hate… Perhaps Quill & Quatrain could even become home to literary journals, a publishing house for student writing, or the jumping off page for people looking for D&D groups to play with…

Quill & Quatrain is in its very beginning stages, and the future is full of a million possibilities.

Which is precisely what I need your help with. I hope you’ll take some moments to explore the blog and the rest of the site, and let me know how things sound and look. YOU are my target audience, so your suggestions will help me reach others like you, and hopefully give them reasons to keep returning to the site time and again.

With the blog especially, I’ve planned what I hope is an interesting line up of content. Look forward to:

• Concept Exploration, where I muse (ok, maybe the word here is “rant”) about topics like power, or growing up;

• Playto’s Academy, or, how games can actually teach us important values and skills;

• Shelf Showdown, aka “read this, not that”;

• Mindfulness Monday (self-explanatory, and perhaps somewhat trite, but an important journey I am starting out on);

• and of course, How To articles which help you write well, or develop exam rituals for calm, or answer literary analysis questions, or sort out the difference between rest and play, or… the list goes on, especially if you’ll help by contributing questions and ideas for more How To articles!

You can see there are already six posts published (counting this one). They’re a taste of what’s to come! Let me know what you think, send me your ideas on how this blog can grow, and above all, help boost this fledgeling site’s place in the Dreaded Google Algorithm by commenting and sharing!

Learning. Life. New beginnings. If all this sounds good to you, share this blog post with everyone you know! Or share the links to all of them!

Here’s to a bright future ahead, together!