Becoming a Teacher

In the lead up to this years #clmooc, I've been scrolling through Twitter more than usual. Early this morning I found the latest DS106 Daily Create and was caught up in the task it posed: write an eight word memoir using the "Pixar Story Spine".

What, I thought, is the "Pixar Story Spine"?  I read the example, which looked like a prose version of a poetic form in its strictures. Exploring a little further, I found a fuller explanation of the spine in Kenn Adams post at Aerogramme Writer's Studio, as well as some examples. Playing around with the format, I wrote this:




 Once upon a time, I said I would never teach high school. 

 Every day, I would say, “They can’t pay me enough to teach. I didn’t like teenagers when I was one; why would I want to be around them all the time?” 

 But, one day, I had breakfast with a friend who had seen me work with campers at speech camp. She said, “You are really good at this. You should be a teacher.” 

 Because of that, I took the tests and filed the papers and got my certification. 

 Because of that, I put flyers in all the ballot bags at the state speech tournament to tell people I was looking for a job. 

 Because of that, I heard of an opening at a wonderful school. 

 Until finally, I interviewed and got the job, becoming a speech and drama teacher! 

 And, ever since then, I have spent my days around teenagers, doing all the stuff---reading, writing, talking, listening, and creating--- I really like to do. 




Adams says of the story spine, "It’s fun! It’s easy! You can rattle off a dozen as you’re waiting for the bus." I wrote my story in just a few minutes and started thinking about all the possibilities the spine holds for writers and teachers.