Teachers and Writing

On one of my lists, we are discussing literature and English teachers. Over the years, I've had many, but three stick out in my mind - two from high school, one from college. Of the two in high school, one remains in my mind because of her love of literature and her ability to pass that love onto others. With her, the books we "had" to read were not a chore, but became fun. We took scenes from Shakespeare and put them in modern day and acted them out. We took poetry and put it to music of our own choosing - or we wrote our own poetry and put it to music. We looked at writing as more than just words put to paper. With her, the stories came alive. Though I do not remember her name, I do remember her class.

The other two are forever in my memory for the opposite reason - because of their cynicism, their obvious hatred of having to earn their livings teaching. Their disdain and strict adherence to the so-called classics created classes of boredom and hatred of all things written. They had their favorite authors and shoved them down our throats until we choked. To this day, I cannot look at a work of Faulkner's without shuddering. Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" gives me nightmares. From them, I learned nothing. Thank goodness I had my love of reading and writing already deeply instilled in me because their classes would have turned me away from it forever.

To one, my everlasting gratitude. To the others, a raspberry and a hope that somewhere over the years they learned to enjoy a good book somewhere.
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Birthdays: Joseph Pulitzer, Clare Boothe Luce, Paul Theroux

Tips and Teasers: Write a letter of appreciation to a former teacher. If the teacher is still alive, send it.

Thought for the day: "I never know quite when I’m not writing." – James Thurber