We teach what we like to learn and the reason many people go into teaching is vicariously to re-experience the primary joy experienced the first time they learned something they loved.
Stephen Brookfield
I suppose this is true. I love reading and writing. I love thinking about books. I love discussing writing and reading. The PE teachers love being in the gym and running about fields throwing little balls at each other. The math teachers get euphoric about manipulating numbers and finding the patterns of the universe.
High school is a place of passions, and students gravitate to the teachers whose love for their subjects is a beacon. I have more and more former students lately who are planning to become English teachers. It’s a rather dramatic compliment. It makes me feel like a proud mama.
Here’s to passions for our subject areas, and to spreading those passions like a virus! 😀 What passion do YOU spread?
Shawn L. Bird 