You’re a Great Teacher

One of my regular InkWell WordShop writers wrote to me, “You are a great teacher.”

I resisted this title as a youth:

I’ll never be a teacher.

And as a young adult:

But I don’t want to be a teacher.

I felt a little of that again last week:

Teacher? Don’t you mean facilitator?

I think my resistance to the title comes from the often-misused George Bernard Shaw quote, “He who can, does, he who cannot, teaches.”

I could easily splinter off here into a diatribe—an angry one—about how hurtful and ignorant the “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach” adage is. One of my own grad-school professors offered this in the context of writing versus writing about writing.

An unexamined life is risky. Unexamined adages can be harmful.

I resisted my professor’s observation.

Because I can do. I am doing. And, now, I’m also embracing “teacher.”

I can make peace with this title now. I’m a good teacher and I’m a good writer. Both.

I wasn’t formally trained in either. No Education degree. No MFA.

And yet, teaching and writing are sturdy, worn, and the most comfortable pair of titles I own.

Instead of “Oh, no. I’m not a teacher,” I’ll say, “Thank you,” to Joan.

The best part—and this is just beginning to sink in—is that the thing I love to do the most and this thing I resisted most of my life but am good at are finally married.

Thank a Teacher

Here in the South, the teachers among us are in the thick of beginning a new school year. They are among the most underpaid, underrated, overtaxed, and desperately needed professionals.

Some people may be—but not always—better at doing things. Teachers are the ones who can break down the hard things into small steps so that we understand how to do them.

Give a teacher a boost this month. A thank you. Flowers. Or even better, some time. They can use volunteers in the classroom.

And join me. Let’s write and learn together. Check out my calendar here.

I’m traveling the rest of this month, but I’ll be back for InkWell WordShops and Words to Brew On in September.

©Pennie Nichols. All Rights Reserved. 2026