The Hobbes Perspective
A reflective space for thinking about writing, classrooms, and what I see differently now.
What this is
The Hobbes Perspective is not a teaching method, a framework, or a curriculum.
It’s a place for reflection — shaped by years teaching high school English and clarified by what I’ve learned since leaving the classroom and becoming a working writer.
For a long time, I stood in rooms full of students asking them to write. I watched the same moments repeat themselves: hesitation, silence, resistance that didn’t quite feel like refusal.
At the time, I thought I understood what was happening.
With distance, I see it differently.
This space exists to name those shifts — the things that only become clear once you’re no longer in the middle of them.
What this perspective comes from
I’m not writing from the position of “here’s what works for everyone.”
I’m writing from the space between:
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teacher and writer
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classroom urgency and reflective distance
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instruction and lived experience
Teaching writing taught me how early pressure shows up for students.
Writing afterward taught me how true that was.
The Hobbes Perspective lives in that overlap.
It’s shaped by hindsight, curiosity, and the belief that noticing is often more useful than fixing.
Who this is for
This space is for:
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creative writing teachers at the secondary level
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former teachers still thinking about the classroom
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writers who teach (or taught) and feel that tension daily
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educators who sense something isn’t broken — just heavier than it looks
If you’re looking for:
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step-by-step lessons
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best practices
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research summaries
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professional development content
This likely won’t be what you need.
If you’re looking for language for something you already sense — you may feel at home here.
What you'll find here
The Hobbes Perspective includes:
Reflective video essays
Long-form thinking about writing, resistance, pressure, and classroom moments that stay with us.
Short-form reflections
One idea at a time. No fixing. No urgency.
Sticky Note Prompts
Small, usable entry points into writing — shared as invitations, not prescriptions.
Assignment reframes
Gentle shifts in how we name and frame work, and how that changes how students respond.
Teacher permission
Reminders that not every day needs to be productive, polished, or resolved.
Everything here is offered as:
“Here’s how I see it now.”
Not:
“Here’s what you should do.”
How to use this space
You don’t need to read or watch everything.
You don’t need to implement anything.
You’re welcome to:
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sit with an idea
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try one small shift
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screenshot a prompt
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or simply feel less alone in the thinking
This space works best when it’s taken slowly.
How this connects to my work as a writer
The same questions that show up in classrooms show up in writing:
Why is starting so hard?
Why does freedom sometimes feel heavy?
Why does performance appear before confidence?
The Hobbes Perspective isn’t separate from my fiction — it’s informed by it.
Both are rooted in interior experience, emotional weight, and the quiet moments where something shifts, even if it’s hard to name.
A note on the name
“Hobbes” is not a system or an acronym.
It’s a reminder — drawn from the character of Calvin & Hobbes — that thinking, curiosity, and observation matter as much as answers. (It also happens to be my childhood nickname) ;)
This perspective values:
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noticing before correcting
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entry before expectation
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reflection before reaction