Even when my middle school students graduate, I can’t escape them. Meet Bella. She’s interning with me over the summer. And she insists on *still* calling me Mr. Broaddus.

We started last week when I put her through her paces:

-inspirational speech (“your first novel’s Gonna Suck. Your second one’s probably gonna suck too, but it should suck less.”*)
-goal setting (she’s now aiming for Alphas as well as entering the Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards)
-been given a reading assignment (Binti by Nnedi Okorafor)
-creative disruption: joined others on a nature walk/spiritual practice
-writing time
-developed a projects list (well, went over my projects list to see what she could jump in on)
-activism/community development work: we interviewed Diop of the Kheprw Institute
-eating (unlike with my other intern, I didn’t have her buy)
-reflection (which was more thorough than any of the reflections she wrote when I assigned them in school)
-I suffered through her love of music by the Backstreet Boys as she worked
-LOOKED AT THE ROUGH DRAFT OF THE COVER OF MY UPCOMING MIDDLE GRADE NOVEL!!!**

For those worried about the fate of @RodneyCarlstrom, he’s been “promoted” to “Intern Emeritus.” And he makes for a nearly as adorable picture… #werestilladorable

*Of course, her response was to print it out and leave it for me to give her notes on.
**Interns are obligated to ooh and ahh.