Had my first class of the semester earlier this evening at Manhattanville College.
I get paid, I believe, $2,300 for the semester. There’s no glory, some aggravation, a fair amount of paper work.
So why teach?
Easy: The buzz.
I loooooove the buzz. Standing in front of 13 students, sharing the love I have for writing. There’s nothing fake about it; nothing contrived or made up. I am genuinely passionate about journalism. When I entered the business in 1994, I was certain it was what I wanted to do with my life—and I was 100-percent correct. As I tell my students, most of my friends sit behind desks, twiddling their thumbs, pushing stacks of paper. They’re content, but bored; they look toward the weekend, hoping the day pass quickly.
This is no way to live.
Even if my students don’t want to become scribes, I urge them to follow their passions. Discover something you love and chase it; hunt it; make it yours. If music is your absolute joy, become a producer. Or a PR person. Or a singer. Or a choreographer. Do whatever it takes to make your life interesting.
Buenos noches.
