Students. Textbooks. Lesson plans. Assignments. Tests. These were the concerns that occupied my fledgling career as an educator, a time characterized by constant mutability and excruciating self-doubt. In short, education was a problem, and all I needed to do was find the right solution. Pile on top of that the fact that I am trying to influence young minds in the discipline of writing and it’s no wonder that some of the most sincere and talented individuals leave the profession within the first three years. Who would want to subject themselves to a lifetime of such uncertainty? Ten years on I’ve come to realize the value of that crucible and the changes it has created. Uncertainty has been transformed into patience. Problems have comfortably morphed into mysteries. I no longer see education. I see learning. I no longer see students. I see human beings. The greatest change of all, however, is that I’ve become something immutable—a teacher.
Greg Palmerino
Mitchell College, New London, Connecticut, and
Manchester Community College, Manchester, Connecticut
Ten years of teaching