To follow up my last post, in which I lamented the loss of a favorite childhood tree, I wanted to share  a couple of other great posts that center on the Saying Good-bye theme .

http://www.ofkells.com

First, Dan Verner, author of  Biscuit City, deconstructs that saccharine pop-song-that-you-say-you-hate-but-you-really-love —  “Another Old Lang Syne” — but he does so in the form of a Unit Quiz, as only a former English teacher would ever dream of doing.  Brilliantissimo! 

Then, the delightful young writer Miriam Hodgkins has a fantastic post on her blog Gomad Nomad,  in which she says good-bye to her dreadlocks after three years.  It’s wonderfully written, and if you are considering growing dreads (Mr. Verner, you know you’ve thought about it) this is a must-read!  Miriam has also just come home from an insanely adventure-filled jaunt around the world, and she’s done some stellar writing about her travels.

These two bloggers are special to me for a couple of reasons.  First, they are both fellow English majors (though not necessarily fellow nerds; I really just needed a snappy plural noun to round out my Post title.)  Second, one of these bloggers was my teacher and the other my student.

Mr. Verner was my creative writing teacher in high school and it was thanks to him that my love of writing was re-awakened after several years of dormancy as I passed through the typical anthology-driven English curriculum, which, shamefully, offers almost no opportunity for creativity.  Mr. Verner could make even The Canterbury Tales fun, and inspired thousands of lucky students over the years.

Fast forward a few years and I arrived at the very same school, this time as a teacher, and eventually  began teaching creative writing myself (spooky!)  Miriam, though only about 15 when she took my class, could already write like a banshee, and continues to do so in her blog. 

So as we wrap up 2011, let’s raise a glass to favorite teachers, English majors, and bloggers of all ages!

(Who else is an English major out there?  I think I see some of you crouching in the shadows.)