. . . Or some other iteration is what people say to me when I respond to their query: “What do you do?” “I teach high school English,” I always say (usually with a bright smile on my face).

I’m really proud of this part of my identity, and I rarely understand why people usually quip with something like, “God bless you! I could NEVER work with teenagers. . . . ” Which leaves me to wonder, why not? Occasionally I ask them, but I never like to hear the answer to that question (which really should just stay in the rhetorical realm). I disagree 98% of the time with what the person says about some of my favorite people in the world (teenagers), and then I question why I’m still standing there listening and talking to them.

You see, I teach high school English. I teach a subject where building relationships is part of the curriculum. I teach a subject where I am lucky enough to get to know kids through their writing (remind me of this when I have a stack of essays to grade) and their reading habits. They often tell me things they haven’t even told their parents or their siblings or their best friends. They show me how empathetic and compassionate they are. They show me their hopes, their dreams, and their passions. They show me their struggles. They show me their heartbreaks. They show me their deepest fears, and they come to me when, God forbid, those fears are realized. And then, with time, they show me their resilience and general continued optimism with the world, even after their life has shattered. Sure, they sometimes tell me things I would have been just fine never knowing, but even in these moments, I’m reminded of the fact that I have the best “job” in the world. I’m in the business of building relationships. These teenagers that people say they couldn’t possibly put up with constantly prove to me that I couldn’t possibly put up with not having them in my life. They truly are some of the coolest people I know.

Teach. Read. Live. Inspire.

Teach

Teaching is not an easy career. I know people laugh at me sometimes when I say this, but I had no idea how difficult teaching would be as a student considering a career in teaching. And I would guess anyone who isn’t already a teacher has no idea how difficult teaching is. It is extremely challenging. I want to share my struggles and my successes. I want to show people what it takes to be a teacher. I want to discuss teaching with other teachers and community members (because, really, I never actually can get enough of talking about teaching, just ask any of my friends who are (and aren’t) teachers). I want to learn and try new things and also share what I have learned along the way. A large part of this blog will be dedicated to my life as a teacher: the beautiful; the good; the bad; and even the ugly (hey, politics, I’m looking at you!). I’m starting a new chapter in my fourteenth year of teaching (if you count my year of student teaching and two years as a TA in college, which I often do because I did all the things I do now, just for free). I say this every year, but I really wish I had started blogging sooner–especially pre-COVID–but I guess it’s better late than never. I am embracing the challenge of teaching at a new high school this year, and for the first time in a long time, I’m teaching gen-ed freshmen. This blog will be as much a reflection of that journey as it will be a resource (at least I hope) for others.

Read

I don’t remember a time in my life when I couldn’t read and wasn’t currently reading a book. Seriously! I started reading abnormally early (I was three), and I haven’t stopped since. I want a platform where I can explore and expand on my relationship with books and reading. I want a place that can serve as a resource for other teachers, for their students, and for my own students. I just want to talk about reading! I mean, if I’m not talking about teaching, the other thing I most want to be talking about is reading. I really do believe they go together (like a horse and carriage . . .). I read a lot of YA literature, probably more than is healthy for a 36 year-old to admit, but hey! It’s for the kids! HA! I also love reading literary fiction, adult fiction, new adult, science fiction, fantasy, psychological thrillers, mystery, historical fiction, nonfiction, self help, graphic novels . . . OK, OK, I admit it! I like to read pretty much everything. And I hope to share a little bit of everything with you as well.

Live

Life is something that has taken a backseat to the first two categories over the last decade and a half of my life. I have been so hyper-focused on establishing my career and becoming what I consider “well-read” that I’ve neglected life a little bit too much. Time to fix that. I am hoping to improve my life by writing about it. I want to talk about psychological well-being (I was a psych major after all). I want to talk about stress. I want to talk about health. And exercise. And food. And body image. I want to talk about simplifying things and trying to be more mindful in my life. I want to be able to practice gratitude when things get tough without even needing to think about it like I used to before “adulting” happened. I want to talk about my dreams and future goals and my introverted tendencies that sometimes get in the way of chasing my dreams. I want to talk about anxiety (a more recent development) and insomnia (not so recent). I want to talk about self-help, continuous improvement, and adulting (Peter Pan was onto something, kids . . . Never grow up!). I want to talk about my hobbies and favorite things. I want to talk about decor and clothes. I want to talk about finance. I want to share more about my beliefs in life and reflect back on my own education . . . You get the picture. Essentially, I want to talk about life in hopes that it will help me be better at lifing (a word I am pretty sure I just made up right now).

Inspire

If you read Life’s a Tripp before (I promise, those missing posts will be coming back in some form or another soon), this category is a new one to the blog. It feels a bit presumptuous for me to declare to the world that I hope to inspire others, but, ultimately, that is my goal. I’d also like to inspire myself in the process, too. I’m a perfectionist, and I often feel like I can’t start or continue something because it isn’t exactly perfect. No more. This category encompasses every category and serves as a reminder to me to remain true to myself in the process but also to embrace the imperfections along the way.

I hope you’ll stick around. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay. And I hope you’ll learn a thing or two about yourself (or for yourself) along the way.

P.S. I am a fan of the fragment and its effect on voice. If that bothers you, you actually may not want to stick around. I use it. On purpose. Often. Promise.

Post originally written May 2016. Updated October1, 2022.

I hope you’ll introduce yourself if you’re reading this, even if you already know me. You see, I’m in the business of building relationships, and I want to have a relationship with anyone who reads this. Somehow. Someway. Leave a comment! Who are you? What do you do? What are your passions?