Opinion
Education Teacher Leaders Network

The Short, Happy Lives of Teachers

July 09, 2008 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

As we climb over the hump of summer toward a new school-year horizon, it’s a good time to share this fun (and often illuminating) activity we tried out recently in the Teacher Leaders Network discussion group.

The idea came from a newspaper feature describing a trend toward “succinct prose.” The story cited a recent book published by Smith Magazine which carried the intriguing title, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure.

As the feature story noted, this and similar collections of extremely short prose have been inspired by a six-word novel said to have been written by Ernest Hemingway on a dare. The novel read: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

The six-word memoirs published by Smith include one from TV chef Mario Batali (“Brought it to a boil, often”); another from an anonymous student (“Deferred all math homework to Dad”), and this from a long-suffering English teacher: “Grading AP essays, I crave Tolstoy.”

Here’s the specific question we tossed into the TLN Forum arena:

If you were writing a mini-memoir of your teaching life, what would your six words be? Your memoir might be funny, inspirational, profound, mundane, deeply true. Want to play? Mull it over, doodle with pen and napkin or your favorite digital tool, and post your memoir for all of us to read.

Below are some of our favorite mini-memoirs from the TLN chat group. You’ll find a bit of humor, a lot of pride, and plenty of evidence that teachers are some of the glue that holds society together.

We hope Teacher Magazine readers will use the Comments tool at the end of this post to share a six-word story of your own teaching life.

They asked. I listened. We learned. (Majorie)

Life on the bell curve’s edge. (Amy B)

Every day is a new adventure. (Amy E)

Reading creates new worlds—let’s go! (David)

Exercised the muscle of the mind. (Nancy D)

Please, don’t ask me for more! (Kim after a hard year)

Daily empowering students who learn differently. (Special ed teacher Mary Z)

No growth, no life. Struggling, soaring. (George)

Teacher, warrior, fighting for the future. (Gail T)

Always celebrating the joy of learning. (Louisa)

We learned by doing, always curious. (Marsha)

Making a difference. Leaving a legacy. (Dayle)

Connecting academic concepts to life applications. (Consumer sciences teacher Susan G)

Maximizing talents of others with enthusiasm. (Joanie)

Hard work and work worth doing. (Rona)

Shaping the future in the present. (Mark)

First class life with second graders! (Donna)

Painting big pictures and brighter education. (Preschool teacher and artist John H)

Learning with children, teachers and leaders. (Ellen H)

Untied shoelaces, missing front teeth – elementary! (Michelle)

Conduit for powerful current of discovery. (Elaine)

Learning as much as I teach. (Jane)

Active noisy classroom means brains working. (Cossondra)

Networked learner: learning never stops. (Sheryl)

Teachers wanted, patience mandatory, sanity optional. (Renee)

Champion of the underdog, forever passionate. (Jon)

Portal to the world beyond cornfields. (Karen in Indiana)

Forming artistic consciousness: society’s future leaders. (Catherine)

Teaching middle school. Lost my mind? (Bill)

Teacher, learner, together we build futures. (Kathie)

Cheerleader aspirations. I teach. Same thing. (Cindi)

Keeping democracy alive for Generation Next. (Mary T)

Hoped to make difference. Was transformed. (Laura)

Loved science first; love students now. (Deborah)

Student potential boundless; teacher growth endless. (Nikki)

I just want to teach. Period. (Susie H)

There you have it-36 teacher memoirs, each exactly six words long. What’s yours?

—John Norton
TLN Moderator
Consorted with teachers; wiser for it.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Don’t Count Them Out: Dyscalculia Support from PreK-Career
Join Dr. Elliott and Dr. Wall as they empower educators to support students with dyscalculia to envision successful careers and leadership roles.
Content provided by TouchMath
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Improve School Culture and Engage Students: Archery’s Critical Role in Education
Changing lives one arrow at a time. Find out why administrators and principals are raving about archery in their schools.
School Climate & Safety Webinar Engaging Every Student: How to Address Absenteeism and Build Belonging
Gain valuable insights and practical solutions to address absenteeism and build a more welcoming and supportive school environment.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: January 29, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Quiz Education Week News Quiz: Jan. 23, 2025
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
President Donald Trump speaks in Emancipation Hall after the 60th Presidential Inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. His administration's order to pause potentially trillions of dollars in federal spending this week sent school districts scrambling to figure out which funds might be halted.
President Donald Trump speaks in Emancipation Hall after the 60th Presidential Inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. His administration's order to pause potentially trillions of dollars in federal spending this week sent school districts scrambling to figure out which funds might be halted.
Al Drago/AP
Education Quiz Education Week News Quiz: Jan. 16, 2025
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of positive movement when attending to a student's well-being is a component.
Dmitrii_Guzhanin/iStock/Getty and Laura Baker/Education Week
Education Briefly Stated: January 15, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read