Once, a few years ago, I was sitting in my office at my college, minding my own business, reading a few papers.  It was warm, sultry, a light wind whisking through campus.  My door and window were open, and I felt of a purpose, a plan, content and busy and comfortable. 

Outside my office, a couple of students sat waiting for one of my colleagues, and they were arguing about some piece of literature or another.  they were getting a little loud, but not obnoxiously so, and as they were really only about four feet from me, I chimed in on whatever it was they were discussing.

Somehow, things went sour.  the young man in the conversation did not like what I said about something, standing up, coming closer, finally telling me, "Why are you the expert?  You know what they say:  those who can do, those who can't, teach."

At that time, my colleague burst out of her office, chastised the young man, and the conversation ended.  And even though I can't remember what caused the flare up or even what we were initially talking about, I do remember that student's indignation and his strong claim that I was simply a watcher while all around me were the doers, the people who were active in the world doing instead of talking about what people had done.

At the time, I didn't stand up, pull all the poetry journals off the shelf to show him that I "did."  I didn't hold out my textbook and show him that I did.  I didn't talk to him about the drafts of a novel at home.  I felt like it, but I managed to control myself.  However, in some ways, I do agree with him.  I agreed with him even back then.  I know many people who teach something that they don't do. 

If we don't do what we are teaching, how do we know what is happening so that we can teach how it is all changing?  If we don't do, how do we know how it feels so that we can talked about that shared experience?  If I am going to teach writing, I certainly should give it a go now and again.  I suppose English teachers can simply read a great deal to stay current with half of the field, but we also have to write.  To sit at home in front of that same blank page we force on our students week after week, year after year, decade after decade.  We have to take the challenge that we give out.

"Read it," we say.  "Say it," we tell them. " Do it," we command.

Then many folks go home and watch the Tivo'd Top Chef and call it a day. (Which, by the way, is fabulous this season!  Go Kevin!)

If I could have that long ago conversation back, if I could sit in my office now and have that student give me the old saw about teachers, I would simply say, "We need to do what we teach.  We can do both."

Jessica