I’m going back to school. Not to college mind you. After eight years at Indiana University, I was handed a degree on the condition I don’t come back without a 48-hour advanced warning.
No, this is adult education. I’m in a six-day intensive training program. When I am done, I will have a certificate in E-Learning Instructional Design. And with that, I can infiltrate the adult education world even further than I have and continue to spread my nonsense.
This all came about because it may shock you to learn that book royalties have not allowed me to live like an A-list Hollywood celebrity. No, my royalties allow me to go to Jack’s Donuts on a semi-regular basis and I suppose that keeps me content. It also means I have to keep my day job. For the past 25 years or so, I’ve been in the day-to-day fundraising world and the world of fundraising education.
That’s not to say those two worlds of humor writing and philanthropy never collide. I’ve taught many workshops and spoken at conferences. And during these events, I’ve thrown baseballs at attendees*, made them stand and sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and other stunts to make it memorable.
But for this week, I’m on the other side. I’m in class 3 ½ hours per day for six days. I’m not sure I’m going to like it. Our instructor doesn’t seem like a humorous stunt kind of guy. He seems to be all business. The class is via Zoom, so I thought about doing something humorous myself. Like wearing costumes every day. My wife doesn’t think the rest of the class will be able to concentrate if I’m wearing a Michael Myers mask from the movie Halloween.
I was thinking of following that up with either a Willy Wonka costume or Beaker from the Muppets. Again, my wife felt like nobody would learn. And I would get expelled. So, I suppose I’ll behave. But it did give me an idea for next year’s Halloween. Maybe we can do a Citizen Costume Contest via Zoom? Well, off to class…
Carry on, Citizens!
*Soft toy ones, not real baseballs. ?
