The doing is the thing
As a teacher of high school juniors and seniors, I often find myself engaged in conversations about their futures. Some of them are very sure of what they want to do with their lives. But more commonly their voices are infused with confusion, sometimes bordering on panic, when they say, "How can I know what I want to do? I'm only 17?" Even though I knew in high school that I wanted to be a teacher, I understand the question. They are exposed to relatively few real world experiences in high school. They want to know "What will I use this for?" As their English teacher, I want them to know that they will use reading and writing everywhere, no matter their career path. I also want them to see that their English teacher doesn't just teach them about other people's writing, and make them write essays galore just for the joy of grading them. I want them to know I write, and I struggle with the same things about it they do. Th...