Let us be Teachers

I have a special place in my heart for anyone who wants to be a teacher to teach. Indeed, it is the instructor that takes responsibility for the progression of society. An individual who is taught a skill, or teaches himself a skill, and does not pass along that knowledge is incredibly vain and selfish. They are hoarders of knowledge. They care not for others. An instructor, though, takes responsibility for the betterment of their world. They share. They want to see other people improve themselves, even if it means that they will exceed the teacher.

That is what I tell myself, anyway.

I went back to school to get my teaching license because kids don't know shit about social studies and I think they are important. I figure if there is one social studies worksheet warrior out there, and I can do his job better than he can, I have to go take his job.

I am an instructor for the Appleseed Project because I think it is a good program that can do this country a lot of good. I think the people in it are doing good things for the right reasons.

My dad was a teacher. I loved him. I am embarrassed by the lessons he didn't get the opportunity to teach me. Without him in this world I have nothing with which I can compare myself. When I lost him I lost my competitive instincts, my ambitions, and goals. I found that many of the things I wanted for myself I wanted so that I could somehow give them back to him through my success. Now I just don't want them. In the end, the only sensation that I discovered within my limbs was the desire to try to help. Seeing people get better makes me feel better for a brief moment in time. I'll take it. So I go to the line and hand out Steady Hold Factors. I prowl for safety violations. I bark a quick line. I tell people it is because I am power hungry and vain and ruggedly handsome and they laugh and relax and have a good time on my line. It is really because I want to make myself better and I want them to be able to make themselves better too.