Patience is a virtue for the Whitetail hunter. Patience is also a virtue for the writer. For the last five years I have applied long suffering to entering a new profession and my blog writing has been silent; I’ve been absent from the Whitetail Poet Diaries to become a Language Arts teacher but it’s time to exercise patience.
The irony of stopping my web articles to become a writing educator is not lost on me but now, after almost six years of classroom work with Middle School and High School students, it’s time to get back to the discipline of pen and paper; keyboard and doc.
About three years into my bow hunting journey I picked up the mantle to teach. From 2015 to 2020 I forged my way through a Communication Arts & Literature degree at Minnesota State University Moorhead and then, jumped into my first classroom as Covid kicked off. Now, into my sixth season and second school, I’ve settled into my new life and discovered my stride as an educator.
I’m jumping back into blog writing with this short testimony to simply state my creative juices were squeezed out in the maelstrom and stress of juggling workload, classroom stress, and English content creation. Finding the energy to crunch out Whitetail Poet content seemed daunting. The page has turned, now I can manage my classroom responsibilities and find blogging as an avenue of refreshment and revitalization.
It’s time to start my personal writing process again.
The bow hunting connection was always present during my teaching transition. My passion for the big wilderness tracks of Northern Minnesota and chasing Ole Wooly with a bow and arrow have been constant companions. In my first year of teaching I devoted six and a half days to my profession and reserved Sunday afternoons for the deer woods. Archery, scouting, hobby photography, and the bow season were a welcomed indulgence to my path to teaching tenure.
Bringing my bow hunting interests to the classroom has helped me connect with many students as well. I enjoy telling, and listening, to hunting stories. In outdoor writing units I teach about conservation pioneers like Sigurd F. Olson and short story lessons many young writers have used their deer stand experience as a backdrop for their assignments.
One valuable lesson I learned while imparting writing skills to teens is patience. One vital attribute I developed while waiting for Whitetail opportunities is patience. One meaningful quality I allowed in my personnel writing craft is patience. But now, it’s time to exercise patience at my writing desk and continue the work of Whitetail Poet.
I want to thank some folks who have not given up on the Whitetail Poet dream through these transition years: Outdoor writer Edgar E. Castillo @ the.writers.blocc on IG took time to reach out, encourage me, offer support, and stay connected. My good buddy Matt who is my Whitetail Poet artist and co-conspirator, my lifelong friend Bill who shares many of my outdoor adventures, and lastly my amazing wife who believes in me, my dreams, is patient with my writing time, and stands with the financial cost of maintaining a website.
It’s time to exercise patience. It’s time to start writing.
Peace,
