What I'm Doing These Days

Those of you who have been following the Pages for a while have also followed my search for some sort of gainful, satisfying and compatible with stay-at-home-daddage employment. You've watched me try community organizing, political consulting and part-time academia. This last is still going on -- I'll be teaching again next semester at least.


And I've been working on something else. For some time some people, sufficiently impressed with what goes on here, have been encouraging me to try writing. And now I have. I just started putting my name out when my first couple of contracts landed on my doorstep. Catalyst Cleveland -- a nonprofit magazine covering urban education -- has expanded to statewide operation as Catalyst Ohio. I was aware this was happening and had spoken to the editor, Charlise Lyles as they were planning the move and was planning to get in touch once my ducks were reasonably lined up. As it happens, she found out I was freelancing and got in touch. My first piece will appear in the next issue and I'm working on the second now.

Let me add here that this is not the usual path for a beginning freelancer. The usual path involves lots of rejection and self-doubt and wondering when you will ever get your first paying job. I understand how fortunate I've been thus far.

The new career move will mean a couple of changes for the blog. First of all, I plan on blogging education a bit more than I've been. I noted before that being employed by an advocacy group made me uncomfortable about taking nuaced positions on things like charter schools. Not that Ohio Fair Schools ever tried to constrain me, but I did voluntarily constrain myself. You might notice the new My Game Is Ed category on the blogroll. Look for that to get more heavily populated and for my opinions about what goes on in the education blog world.

It also means that posting my at times be spotty, particularly as deadlines approach. I'm hoping things will be a little better next semester as my class is a little less labor intensive, but of course if I get more writing jobs, things may be more hectic.

I'll also mention here for anyone interested in retaining the services of a lawyer-turned-writer with expertise in education, politics, local government and criminal law, my email is pho197[at]hotmail[dot]com.

Finally, a plug for my new client. I've been reading Catalyst Cleveland for a couple of years. Now that it is Catalyst Ohio, the magazine will hopefully be an indispensible resource for anyone concerned about urban education, or education in general. The magazine strives to examine issues objectively, giving time to all sides. And best of all, subscriptions are free. Surf on over and sign up.