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tiredfairy
11/02/09

In reply to On Favorite Teachers, "A Room Of One's Own," And Permission To Succeed
Growing up, I was incredibly lucky to have a private art tutor from the ages of 11-18. Her Friday afternoon class became a sanctuary for me, a place to mull over Klimt and Munch, to draw only the outlines of things...to carve wood and make prints...to paint. I drew and painted my first nudes in that class, and explored everything from abstract expressionism to building my own books.

To this day, the smell and taste of blackberry tea and the sound of classical music makes me think of her crowded studio of books, easels, masks, puppets, clay...and shelves upon shelves of paints and charcoal and paper.

She was one of the first people to recognize that I could tell a story, and that I had equal affinity for words as I did for pictures. And she was one of the very few people that always told me that what I had to say had value, and that it was worth saying. #teachers
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Penny
11/02/09

In reply to On Favorite Teachers, "A Room Of One's Own," And Permission To Succeed
This is so amazing. A connection with a teacher/mentor is such a special thing. I am lucky to have had a few professors in college who allowed me to spread my mental wings, including the totally phenomenal Sandra Gilbert.

In was in her class that I had a huge life-changing realization, while we were discussing "The Awakening." I was 21 and it was the first time I realized that I had spent my entire life trying to be "normal" instead of just accepting myself.

Anyhow, I am forwarding this to every woman I know. #teachers
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CurtCole
11/02/09

@Penny: I think "The Awakening" was a revelation for many of us. Such a beautiful piece of fiction. #teachers
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Penny
11/02/09

@CurtCole: Seriously. I have met some people who don't care for it, but it's my favorite novel. #teachers
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CircleSquare
11/02/09

@Penny: You studied under Sandra Gilbert?!!

I am geeking out right now...that's incredible. The Madwoman in the Attic was such an eye-opening piece of criticism for me.

What was she like, as a teacher? #teachers
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Penny
11/02/09

@CircleSquare: Yeah, she was totally incredible. I went to UCD but she would commute in from Berkeley sometimes to teach at my school. Her poem "The Return of the Muse" did a number on me, I actually wrote something about the male muse in her class. I didn't befriend her, although we did talk sometimes, but she was very influential in my academic life.

Maaaaaan I want to go back to school! #teachers
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CurtCole
11/02/09

@Penny: SO jealous!*

*but in a loving way.
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Edited by CurtCole at 11/02/09 6:44 PM CurtCole was starred CurtCole was unstarred

sara-without-an-h
11/02/09

In reply to On Favorite Teachers, "A Room Of One's Own," And Permission To Succeed
My mother is a teacher in a dangerous area in Paris. I have seen her come home so exhausted she would curl up in bed at five, weep with frustration after hearing people belittle her responsabilities, say nothing all evening because she was haunted by the pain she witnessed all day.
And some nights she would pick up students from jail, because their parents didn't speak French, or were in jail too. They would call her.
And sometimes she smiles so broadly, and she tells me that something happened in class that day. Maybe someone asked a question that showed that he/she was interested. Or she felt a connection.
Teaching is the most difficult job in the world. My mother always told me it was the most rewarding. #teachers
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phantom lady
11/02/09

In reply to On Favorite Teachers, "A Room Of One's Own," And Permission To Succeed
Can't write anything of value. eyes are too filled with tears #teachers
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CurtCole
11/02/09

In reply to On Favorite Teachers, "A Room Of One's Own," And Permission To Succeed
Our educators really are the unsung heroes of society. They open up new vistas not only in our minds, but also in the physical world. And more importantly they enable us to become social agents of change, if we let them.

Well said, Anna.
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Edited by CurtCole at 11/02/09 6:14 PM CurtCole was starred CurtCole was unstarred

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