Everything I do is kind of a lesson, even if I am the only person who learns it.

Say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks the determination with which you believe it.

Education is the miracle; I'm just the worker.

That's what teaching is, the art of explanation: presenting the right information in the right order in a memorable way.

Certainly teachers themselves can do a better job of letting the world know how hard their profession is, but frankly, they have real work to do and a lot of it, so they don't have a whole lot of free time on their hands.

I have a policy about honesty and ass-kicking, which is, if you ask for it, then I have to let you have it.

A poem is the perfect place to celebrate imperfection and exult in the ways you fall short of being the person you want to be.