I teach. That's what I do; I've taught kids, senior citizens, college students, veterans, and other academics in my field. It's all I know how to do, and I do it well.
I've always wanted to teach, for as long as I can remember. My heroes are teachers. I want to be a hero to someone too.
Follow me on a short journey, please.
I joined the Navy in 1992 because, like so many others, I couldn't afford college, and recruiters offered me 25,000 dollars in college money to join. I remember looking over at President Bush's picture on the wall as I was taking the oath of service and thinking "What the hell am I doing?"
But I wanted to teach. It wasn't a question really.
So I did something I still can't believe some ten years later,and I belatedly discovered that my soul could be bought at the low, low price of 25k.
But when I teach, I buy it back a little at a time. My first year of teaching, a student revealed her suicidal ideation in a journal, and I helped her get the care she needed. Three years ago, a woman dying of cancer wanted to write her memoirs, and I showed her how to get started. I wonder if she ever finished. Last week, I gave a second chance to a minority student who would have ended up back in the ghetto if I hadn't.
I teach. It's all I know. I don't know how to bake a cake or change the oil in my car. I'm a one-note wonder that way.
Starting in January, I will no longer be teaching. Budget cuts. Layoffs. You know.
This diary is dedicated to all of you who teach or will teach. Share your thoughts on what it means to you personally. Your strength will be mine.