Why Do English Teachers Have It So Hard?!

No one ever told me why hardly anyone wanted to be an English teacher–now I know.  I have spent so many hours grading paper and projects that seemed like such a good idea at the time, and then all the assignments came in and my back and eyes are suffering tremendously!  I would love to be able to do what I love and still have the life that I want to have.  I know that I am supposed to be an English teacher in the deepest core of my being, but I want that desire to propel me forward rather than keep me from living my life fully.  On top of my desire to have a personal life (aside from the impersonal conversations with the young man who works at the coffeeshop that I go to grade at every weekend), I also want the young people that come through my classroom to learn how to communicate and

find some sort of understanding about the power of words to create and destroy the human experience.  I know that I am not alone in this desire.  I know that the world has to change and that the young people in our classrooms are the ones to change it.  These pages are dedicating to increasing the meaning and significance of class time and out-of-class time for students in my classroom.  I hope that you will offer your wisdom and add your ideas to this blog.