My most favorite writer in the whole universe is Anne LaMott. I think she and I would be best friends. She reads and writes; I read and write. She has rather progressive views on faith and spirituality; I have some progressive views on faith and spirituality. She is a famous writer and memoir aficianado; I aspire to be such.
So when I needed a name for my professional blog, I turned to Anne LaMott. I was sure I could find something that hadn’t yet been taken by a million other bloggers, and I did:
“These are the words that I want on my gravestone: that I was a helper, and that I danced.”
A bit macabre, perhaps, but it gets at what I ultimately want out of life. I want to help people. I love helping people. Whether it’s helping a student understand a text or helping a colleague use a piece of technology, I really do enjoy helping people. It’s at the core of what teachers do.
I plan on having regular features on this blog: links I find on Twitter, organizational techniques, self-assessments of lesson plans…my hope is that this venture will make me a better teacher, and maybe even help some others along the way.
And so the name of the blog: Reading and Writing Helper. It’s what I am.
And when I’m really happy, I also dance.
