Today is the first day of school.
(Related, my freshman seems to be doing great, and thanks to so many of you for asking. Favorite text so far: How crazy is it if I switch out my astronomy class for another philosophy class? And then I’m taking 3 philosophy courses? Humanities FTW.)
My lesson plans are (mostly) done. The assignment calendar is mapped out with the kinds of projects I wish I could have done in college. I have my class rosters and a whoooole lot of names to learn, but I’m up for the task.
I have a few small items in my office; just enough that it doesn’t look like a WeWork desk rented for the day. My daughter drew some art on my whiteboard and lent me her beloved JFK bust, salvaged from God-knows-where. We tried to clean up the face with nail polish remover and now, if you catch him in the sunlight, he looks like a mime.
There’s a Clone High episode in there somewhere.
I can’t stop thinking about the kind of teacher I want to be, and how that will or will not align with the teacher I become — or the teacher my students remember.
If you recall, I have great affection for so many of the educators in my life who believed in me, and believed in my writing.
Even and especially when others didn’t.
(Those of us in creative fields are highly familiar with the “talks too much in class” note on our report cards. Bloop.)
So today I turn to you, my friends and readers, so many of whom are wonderful writers, thinkers, and teachers in your own right:
What did you value about your favorite teachers? Is there one lesson you will always remember? Is there one thing they said that pushed you, changed you for the better, made you believe in yourself?
Note: Thanks so much to those of you who shopped using my affiliate links last month. You sure like those waffle blankets and silicone ice cube trays! 90 ordered items = $69.72 in revenue. It’s not a lot, but it’s $69.72 out of Jeff Bezos’s pocket that goes straight to World Central Kitchen. ❤️
#Professor
