Just Give Me 500 Words

For twenty-seven years I was a high-school English teacher. In that time I asked thousands of students to give me this- or that-many words on a host of topics.

And then I retired.

I don't miss the bus or hall or cafeteria duty. I don't miss the marking. I sure don't miss the dictates of ministry, board, or office.

What I do miss -- apart from the camaraderie of my colleagues -- is an audience. Whatever else my students were -- a challenge, a frustration, an inspiration -- they were also my audience for twenty-seven years. And they were almost always a tough audience. Sure there were the classes who regarded me with god-like awe (yeah, right), but most of the time I had to work hard to motivate, explain, and entertain.

Now, as my friends (God bless 'em) will tell you, I need an audience. Not only do I delight in the sound of my own voice, I'm one of those people who tends to do his thinking out loud. I try out ideas; I work out plans and schedules; I test opinions. Put uncharitably: I talk not just to myself, but to anyone who can't get out of range quickly enough. You see, I have to hear myself to know if my ideas sound any good, or if they need fine-tuning.

So I've suffered these last few years. Sure, not as much as my friends, my dear wife, or even my cat, but I've missed my audience and I figure the cure is to start blogging.

Don't expect "fair and balanced". Not that I believe every question has a black and white answer; they don't. Most issues worth considering are complex and deserve a nuanced response.

But the truth isn't found in objectivity. And it's the truth, or as near as I can get to it, that I'm after. There is no excusing greed, willful ignorance, or bigotry. I will not patiently endure injustice, falsehood, or stupidity. There was no "other side" to the Nazis. Stalin did not have his "good points".

I hope to do what I tried to do in the classroom all those years: inform, inspire, provoke. I want to question received wisdom, the status quo, and common sense. Maybe I'll annoy. I'm sure someone will catch me in a grammatical or punctuation error. I'll have to apologize.

It's going to take some work. If people are going to read what I have to say, I'd better know what I'm talking about. So I'm prepared to do my homework and I expect I'm going to learn a lot.

I think the hardest part will be putting myself out there on controversial issues where I risk offending those who know me. I hope I can do that. We'll see.

So here I am -- embarking on my second career. For twenty-seven years I was a high school English teacher. Now I'm asking you to be my audience. I hope you're willing to indulge me. Just give me 500 words.