In my early days (2004-2009) of speaking at schools about the life of a writer and (at the time) cartoonist, I required too much paperwork.
There were the essentials—well, essential: the contract.
But then there were the extras.
I would bring feedback forms (yes, on paper) to leave with the school to copy and distribute to all teachers and students who heard my presentation. I further asked them to mail me the completed forms (at their expense!). Of course, I could not require them to do so, but I asked nicely, and a good number obliged. Sometimes I would get thick mailings with hundreds of responses.
Looking back, I am a bit embarrassed that I put schools in that position. I was asking a lot of people with more important things to do to take time to help me improve. Yes, asking young writers to "review" something is a valuable exercise, but still—curriculum is extensive and time is limited. I deeply appreciated the input and told them so, but no worries—I will not be resurrecting the practice.
My filing cabinet did not allow me to keep all of the forms, but I do have some favorites, including this one:
I am also no fan of my hair.
(And fourth grader Besart, wherever he is, would now be 24 years old...)
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