Judy Jester

My husband worries what I'll do when I retire. Mind you that's not for another fifteen years easy, but he has reason to be concerned. I'm an incurable teacher.

Maybe that's true for all Writing Project teachers, but I can't keep myself from viewing nearly every experience through the lens of teaching. This weekend, my niece, Emma, was very excited to hear I was on Twitter. "Me too. I'll follow you." Her smile dimmed just a bit when I told her that I mostly tweeted about articles or professional books I'd read. "Oh." A freshman in college, I don't think she'll be following me.

As a coach this summer, I was meant to drop in the Institute to confer with the teachers I was coaching and then to offer support during their demos. I found myself staying longer than I intended again and again because what they were doing was so smart and interesting. Though I haven't gardened as much as I'd planned this summer, my teaching will be better for the trade-off. Fifteen years is a long time from now. Maybe they'll start another kind of Institute, more along the lines of the Betty Ford Center to give actual hobbies a chance. In the meanwhile, I'll stay in touch with Emma on Facebook and just keep on reading and writing.