September, Hello Again.

I love September.

I love new starts and wool sweaters, and laminating.

Yep, the school year is off and running, and I have mostly delightful students.  Or I could say I mostly have delightful students.  You know, it goes both ways.

I love being a teacher, but –whoa!– it’s very different from being an artist.

Here are the main differences:

In my studio, I don’t talk to anybody but myself.
In my studio, I don’t wear shoes very often.
In my studio, I spend a lot of time staring off into space.
In my studio, I listen to Klaus and Ennio.
In my studio, I wander in and out of my own phobias and neuroses, hands busy all the while.
In my studio, sometimes it’s hard to take what I’m doing seriously.  It feels very self-serving.
In my studio, I forget to eat sometimes, but there is always a cold cup of coffee within reach.

In my classroom, I talk to about 150 teenagers a day, and maybe three grown-ups.
In my classroom, I almost always wear shoes.
In my classroom, I spend a lot of time trying to keep others from staring off into space!
In my classroom, I listen to Pandora -or- the same questions asked over and over again.  I always answer lovingly and patiently, FYI.
In my classroom, I wander in and out of the phobias and neuroses of my students, but I seem to be much better at helping and/or distracting them.
In my classroom, it’s never hard (for me) to take what I’m doing seriously.  Seriously.  Because teaching is very important, just not as important as learning.
In my classroom, I forget to eat sometimes, but here is always a cold cup of coffee within reach.

Wait! That one’s the same.