This summer I had huge plans. I was going to Washington DC to tour on my own and then attend a teacher's conference where I would get to visit places like Monticello, Mount Vernon, etc. I was also planning to write every day in a Wonder Woman journal that a student gave me. Well, little did I know, my plans would change.
The day school let out I decided to surprise my brother and jump on his back. He lost his balance. We both fell backwards. My head bounced off a corrugated metal wall, and my brother’s head smashed into my face. I went to the ER the next day only to find out that I had an orbital blowout fracture. I have double vision. Sometimes my peripheral vision is not very good. I am in constant pain and have swelling and numbness on the right side of my face. In a couple of weeks, I will have surgery to repair the damage. Because we don't know how long healing will take, my plans for going to DC are on hold.
Doing anything that requires me to look and concentrate for long periods of time increases my pain level. that means reading, watching TV, checking Facebook, and writing are almost impossible to do. Instead, I will have to learn to use technology to help me write. However, I am so grateful that there is technology available that allows me to voice type (which is what I did to write this)! I am able to experience the joy and frustration some of my students as they use voice typing.
While it doesn't feel like I am actually writing, I know that I am. I will have a journal solo voice typing on Google Docs that I will be able to share with all of my students once school starts up again in August. I can show them but if you really want to write, you will find a way.
My Wonder Woman journal may remain empty, but my writing life will continue, no matter what!
Wendy Chaulk just finished her nineteenth year as a teacher. She has taught fourth grade in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; second grade in Jacksonville, NC; K-5 special education in Rio Rancho, NM; 4-6 special education in Gillette, WY; and currently teaches in a fifth and sixth-grade looping classroom in Gillette, Wyoming. You can connect with Wendy on Twitter (@wluvs2teach). Wendy and her husband of five years enjoy cooking, camping, traveling, and being outside with their dog, Yogi.
I am so sorry about your injury. You just never know. I had plans this summer, too, but they have changed due to my parents move to a retirement home. We are emptying a lifetime from their house. Certainly lots of fuel for writing, but not as much time as I had hoped. Heal quickly. Do what the doctor says. Take care of yourself so you can start the next school year strong.
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