bits and English Lit.

If we all were just honest with each other, we would all admit that I am a strange choice for a teacher of English. I certainly don't look the part. When people see me, I am sure they don't think, "yup, there goes an english teacher." I actually see that as one of my strengths as a teacher... I call it... "approachable." I fly under the radar.

I don't wear glasses.
I am not top bald.
I don't have a large goiterish adam's apple.
I don't smoke a pipe.
I can't cross my legs when I sit, leading to a complete malformation of correct english teacher posture.
I am in no way bookish looking.
I am not quiet... just ask my laugh.
I DO have a tweed jacket with elbow pads though!! (score one for me!)
I don't have a great memory for memorizing passages of literature or poetry.
And.... well,

I play video games.

Yup, sure do. I love em. I guess that pretty much seals my fate right there.

I remember when my Dad brought home our first video game... "Zork." A completely word based exploration game, I played it for hours. I remember him bringing home the scripts printed out on reems of dot matrix printer paper. Then more games would come. An Atari. A commodore 64, a 128, I loved them. So did he. Our friends up the road got an Intellivision. We played SNAFU for hours. I grew up with these games. I actually feel so much more a part of that culture than the kids that I teach now. I was there for the birth man! I watched the games grow up into what they are!

I just brought home Soul Calibur 5 tonight. It released today. I was on the top 100 best players in North America list for Soul Calibur 4 for a very short time. I am not a passive player of these things. I don't spend hours on them like I used to as a kid though. I just can't, physically and psychologically. I do have other things to do.

There was, and still is something that draws me to these games. They meant exploration. Reaching out into new space. I always needed to find out what was behind the next door. What was in the mailbox on the North side of the house. (Zork reference for those not able to keep up...) I am certainly more than these video games. I am a damn good English teacher. I am proud of being a good father. I hike all the time and I read Thoreau. And... I play Skyrim and Soul Calibur and eagerly...itchingly, am awaiting the release of Diablo 3. Ah... Tyrael, you coy little arch-angel.

db