An Ode to Teachers

I'm won over. If this whole writing thing falls through and I find myself in a teaching position - much like the main character in my favorite novel, Sideways, only hopefully minus the alcoholism and self-loathing - I don't think would be such a bad thing. We tend to look at teaching as a profession the way we do because we remember the majority of teachers who didn't care, not the ones who did and make it count.

The other day I finally found the address of my middle school English teacher, Ms. Dennis. She taught the advanced English class I was in all three years of middle school, and I trace this whole writing thing back to her. Every writing assignment or lesson in essay structure we had high school seemed beneath the level Ms. Dennis pushed us to years earlier. Middle school is the last time I remember ever struggling with writing in the technical sense.

The year after we left her class I started my first blog. Eventually I ended up here. Still blogging when I should be doing other things. Actually get paid a little bit for some of my writing.

I'm halfway through a letter to my old teacher. I've heard teachers like getting letters from past students, though I'm not sure if I'm expecting a response. The knowledge that I sent the letter is all I really want. But, if I could choose, I'd like to get my letter sent back to me "Return to Sender" style, covered in red ink marks. One last C+, another essay that could have been better. And maybe one of those scratch-n-sniff stickers that smell like grape.