BBAW DAY 2: Between Two Lives

Book Blogger Appreciation Week is hosted by The Estella Society (Heather, Jenny, Andi, and Ana). Day 2 is Interview Day. I wish I had interviewed someone (there are some great interviews out there). But I'm not that organized right now. So instead, I'm going to write about my two lives: my life as a teacher, and my life as a reader/writer/blogger.

My Life as a Teacher:

• Is never, never, never boring. There may be tedious aspects to my job (I jump through more hoops than a circus poodle), but it is never dull. Every day is different, every student is different, and I never do the same thing the exact same way from day to day.
• Requires massive reserves of energy. Teaching is a daily performance (each class is its own little drama or comedy). That can be spiritually and emotionally draining, especially if you are something of an introvert.
• Is about relationships. The most important thing I do as a teacher is establish a relationship of trust and caring with each student that I teach. To the extent that I can be successful doing this, I will be successful as a teacher.
• Is filled with failure. Teaching is a humbling profession. So many times the lesson I spent hours planning, the one I fantasized as compelling and life-altering, falls flat.
• Requires tenacity. You have to live by Churchill's dictum: Never, never, never, never give up.
• Is, usually on alternate days, the most dizzyingly exhilarating and rewarding profession in the world, and the most under-appreciated and exhausting profession in the world. Sometimes it is both on the same day.

My Life as a Reader:

• Feeds every other part of my life. Reading is one of the most soul-enriching elements of my life.
• Keeps my mind working. I love to think, and both reading and teaching give me opportunities to use my brain.
• Relaxes me. When I'm feeling stressed out by work, I turn to a book.
• Allows me to connect with my students in an authentic way. Students are masters of reading the true intentions of adults. They can spot a phony in an instant. My absolute passion for books and reading is real, and the kids know it. I love talking to kids about books, and handing the right book to a kid is awesome.
• Gives me a feeling of being connected to people, places, and events that (while sometimes entirely imaginary) become entirely real to me as I read. Every once in a while as I read I feel a flash of this insight: what a truly miraculous thing it is to read marks on a page and see a living dream in my mind.
• Is an essential part of my core self. And having the ability to share this part of my life with other bloggers, writers, and readers enriches my life immeasurably.

Thanks for letting me share a little bit about my two lives!