Would you believe it? It's raining again. This is what I get for living in London, I suppose.Just a quick question today; something I've been wondering about for awhile:
Why are so many writers teachers?
What's the connection? Now, I know it's not because of all of the free time teachers have (*ducks*). How do I know that? Because I used to be a teacher, too.
So is it... teachers are creative people who don't want to take the corporate path? Teachers are more empathetic, which also makes for good writers? Teachers really want to be writers but need a day job? Personally, I never thought of writing as a 'job', and I decided I couldn't do the corporate thing any longer. Teaching was something I'd always wanted to do -- besides writing -- so I thought I'd give it a go. It's a long and circuitous route to where I am today.
I'm keen to know why you think so many teachers are writers, and vice versa.
Hmmm. . . I'm thinking it's that they need a day job maybe?
ReplyDeleteOr more likely that they have such a passion for writing that they want to instill that in the next generation :)
i was going to be a teacher, once. I guess i just thought, i like to read so it would be a good job, reading with kids. Also i loved school so it would be fun to stick with it as a job
ReplyDeleteI think it's the love of language, both written and spoken, that draws them to each vocation.
ReplyDeleteInteresting question...I think of teaching as a creative vocation, so it stands to reason that creative people, like writers, would be drawn to it.
ReplyDeleteYou used to be a teacher? How cool!
I bet teachers would make awesome YA/Middle Grade authors because they have so much experiences and characters at their fingertips!
ReplyDeleteLOL! That said, I've always wanted to be a teacher--I had kids instead. And now I write.
Jenni James
(Thanks for stopping by!)
Great question! I've noticed the connection too, and also the fact that almost 90% of the writer-bloggers I know are female. Interesting statistics :) Maybe teachers, particularly ones who teach English, are so close to their subject every day - reading literature, promoting good writing skills, etc. - that the craft comes naturally to them.
ReplyDeleteI think it's time for you to get out of London. :)
ReplyDeleteAs far as teachers and writers...maybe it's just the artsy, humanities side of people. They both are similar. A lot of writers turn out to be English and history majors too. Not so many engineers and chemists, though it probably happens sometimes.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI'd ask Theresa Milstein over at Substitute Teacher's Saga. I think it was either teach or write or both. I think.
I guess it's because teaching is all about being creative in front of an audience maybe? It's almost like theatre - a teacher has to perform and have an audience enthralled and captivated - rather like writing.
Those are my theories anyway!
I wish it would stop raining too. Happy Easter!
Take care
x
Just as a quick thought, maybe it's something to do with communicating. Really effective communication is an attribute so necessary to both fields, so perhaps teachers extend their love of communication in this way?
ReplyDeleteFor me, it's because teacher and writer is what I am, not what I do. I didn't want to be a teacher for a while. I tried a number of other things first and finally gave up fighting it.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing it's because both teaching and writing take creativity, plus you have to do a lot of reading to become a teacher and to continue teaching. I'm a former teacher.
ReplyDeleteHelen
Straight From Hel
I'm loving reading everyone's great thought on this subject. I agree with the communication aspect - as a teacher you need to think hard to communicate with your 'audience'. Thanks, all, for chiming in. You're helping my understand my own career choices!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I've always wondered this myself, since I work as a substitute teacher and also write. I think a lot of the other commenters' explanations make sense.
ReplyDeletei'm not a 'real' teacher but i have taught a lot. i think it is because both teachers and writers like to help people get an idea usually with a narrative. what i wonder is why do so many doctors and lawyers become writers these days? oh, by the way - i've given up capitals for april. just an experiment to see how much time i save.
ReplyDeleteLOL - I write English teaching materials for a living - I just want to write fiction!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a teacher but I've seen a lot of teachers who are indeed writers (vice versa) and I think it's kind of neat!!! I am very much creative and mine always fell into the interior design section, I don't really have a knack for learning!
ReplyDeleteOops I meant teaching *blonde moment!*
ReplyDeleteGood question and some good responses here. I do think people who are drawn to literature and the written word might find teaching a reasonable career choice. And, it takes a lot of patience and creativity to teach .. so that goes hand in hand as well.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main reasons I became a teacher was because I always loved to read and I wanted to help other people find the joy and love. I think reading & writing are so closely connected, it's natural to love both :)
ReplyDeleteFree time? Really? I work 60 hours a week on average, and do tons of researching, planning & professional reading in the summer. :) I definitely earn every spare hour I get!
I'm amazed at how many teachers there are in general, or maybe it's just that I'm drawn to that kind of person. Most teachers I meet are genuinely wonderful people.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but I know of a few great writers who were teachers first. Because lunch and recess are especially productive times to write?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the follow.
Trust me, Kaylie. Lunch and recess are NOT productive times to write. I was a teacher for over 20 years. I had dreams of being a writer but didn't believe I could do it and didn’t have the energy to try. The stresses of teaching meant that I ended up on the long term sick and that was when I had my first piece of writing accepted for publication.
ReplyDeleteI admire all those of you who are able to teach and write. For me teaching extracted every last drop of creativity from me but that, I think, is the answer to your original question, Talli. You need masses of creativity to both teach and write but if it was just creativity then lots of teachers would be artists as well as writers. I think that Joanne's comment about communication is so true. If you can't communicate, you can't be a teacher or a writer.
These are all great thoughts. Thanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteRosalind, I'm so glad you said it, because teaching bled me of every ounce of creativity I had! I was so tired by the end of the day I could barely stay awake after dinner, let alone writing. It was only after I stopped teaching that I could write seriously.
I'm constantly in awe of those teachers who can do it, though. Massive kudos to you!
Hmm... I'm a teacher and a writer. :) I have always loved to write but never really considered it a viable career and have wanted to teach since I was in second grade.
ReplyDeleteI love to read, and I think that's a big part of the reason that I teach first grade, teaching my little guys to really read and write. And they DO... they have the most amazing thoughts. We just started a poetry unit and were talking about seeing the world through a poet's eyes. My kids wrote things like "My teeth are a jail for my tongue" and "People are God's goldfish". On day 2 of poetry! And they are 6 years old! My kids at school constantly inspire me because little guys have such different outlooks on life than adults.
Part of the reason I write YA, though, is that at the end of the day, after teaching all day (exhausting!) and spending evenings with my own two kids, ages 7 and 2 (also exhausting, lol), I want to read/write something for older kids. It's a change of pace for me.
Like everyone else has said, I have very little time or energy for writing. I find that I have to be forgiving when I get no writing done for days on end because I bring work home and I have little time with my family to begin with. So writing does often get put on the back burner. C'est la vie, I wish it weren't so, but it can't be a priority most of the time.
I agree also with what several of you said about communicating - teachers have to be able to reach others. Writers have to be able to reach others. Teachers and writers have to entertain and amuse in order to gain their audience's attention, and open their minds in order to hold it.
I'm a teacher and I write. One day I wouldn't mind saying I'm a writer and I also teach. But that day's not here yet, as I still like eating and having a roof over my head, too. Inconvenient, I know. In term-time, writing apart from blogging goes to pot apart from a regular commitment to a column. In the holidays, WATCH ME GO!
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