"Take a walk down memory lane with me"
Mar. 1st, 2005 12:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
morrigirlI've got this crazy nervous energy surging through my body. Why? Because awesome things are happening, the most exciting of which was set in motion two days ago.
It was Saturday. I was working. There was nothing of consequence that needed doing so, in a wave of nostalgia, I punched the name of my seventh grade creative writing teacher into Yahoo and hit the search button. Now most people wouldn't give two shits about what an old teacher from junior high was up to, but I'm not most people, and Mr Cibula was definitely not most teachers. He was 24 the year I entered junior high school and was placed in his home room. He was a total nut job but he was young and irreverent so I liked him immediately. He taught history, and writing and whatever other humanities related classes needed teaching. He must have had a certain fondness for me because he let me get away with calling him "idiot" in front of other students, and listening to my walkman in homeroom.
He is undoubtedly the single most influential writing teacher I've ever had. There are things he taught me in junior high that have become staples of my writing style. Take my ability to craft amazing similes for instance. The only reason I've got such a knack for it is because Cibula spent a month or so teaching the class to recognize the difference between simile and metaphor and making us write examples of each. That's just one of many quirks that I can point to my writing and say "Cibula taught me that." it wouldn't be much of a stratch to say that he molded me into the writer I am today. (Whether that's actually something to be proud of is anyone's guess.)
Anyhoo, what's the first link on the list of results? His blog! Of course, I wasn't initially sure it was his blog. I read through a few entries looking for references to his teaching career, time spent in New York, his wife, his kids, his four published children's books. I found all of the above. The writing sounded like his, I knew I had found Matt Cibula.
I'd actually found him before. On a similar night back during junior year, on one of my first evenings working at the music library, I'd been caught up in another wave of nostalgia and had done the same thing. At the time he'd been writing a serial novel called "The Sanchez Report" for a kid's website. I found an email address for him on the site, but I was too afraid to write him. Teachers meet so many kids, I was afraid he wouldn't remember me, and even if he did, I doubted he'd give a shit about whatever happened to me. Even so I did draft an email to him just saying how much I learned from him and what an inspiration he'd been to me. The letter was long and sentimental and half way through I abandoned the idea of contacting him. I had always respected his opinions, and I didn't want to be crushed by a possibly flippant response.
But to comment on a blog doesn't require one to be particularly deep or thoughtful. I felt like I was in luck. His most recent entry, written only a day or two before indicated that he would no longer be using this blog which meant if I wanted to say something I had to say it quick. I typed a brief comment asking if he was indeed the Matt Cibula who taught me twelve years ago. Then I sat there for 45 minutes debating whether or not to post it. My fear of rejection was just as strong as it had been four years ago. Eventually I decided to just post it. I wanted to, it was important to me, so I did it.
First thing I did at work this morning was check his blog to see if he'd responded. He had :-) Just a quick comment saying "yes, carla, it is me. how are you? email me!" He'd also thrown me a hello in the following entry which delighted me to no end. So tonight I emailed him. My message was long and rambling and probably just as silly and sentimental as the one I drafted four years ago, but I finally got to tell him how greatly he'd influenced me. That was very important. Now he knows that he had a lasting effect on at least one of his students. I can think of no better compliment to pay a teacher. Now regardless of whether he even bothers to respond I've said what I needed to say, and pushed myself past the fear of saying it.
Maybe in another ten years I'll muster the courage to tell David, Tom, and Natania how amazing I think they are.
So there's the first great thing that happened today, second great thing is that NYIT closed down due to inclimate weather at 5PM today. I only had to work two hours! As we shuffled out amid a crowd of severely pissed off students, Charles and I prayed the school would be closed again tomorrow. *raises glass* Here's to hoping.
And last but not least when I got home this evening I found a nice little notice in my mailbox letting me know that the Knox College Choir would be performing at Carnegie Hall in March. Though I don't think I can attend the concert, they're also gonna perform at St. John's Church, a free show that actually falls on my day off. Needless to say it's gonna take a pretty big tsunami to keep me away. I still have friends in the choir who I haven't seen in a long time and I'm not about to miss an opportunity to rub elbows with 'em. So how many of you guys are in choir this term. I know![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
irishelf is. What about you ninquark? leopardqueen? Who else am I missing? I hereby obligate all of you to at least give me a hug on your way through the Big Apple. Deal?
It was Saturday. I was working. There was nothing of consequence that needed doing so, in a wave of nostalgia, I punched the name of my seventh grade creative writing teacher into Yahoo and hit the search button. Now most people wouldn't give two shits about what an old teacher from junior high was up to, but I'm not most people, and Mr Cibula was definitely not most teachers. He was 24 the year I entered junior high school and was placed in his home room. He was a total nut job but he was young and irreverent so I liked him immediately. He taught history, and writing and whatever other humanities related classes needed teaching. He must have had a certain fondness for me because he let me get away with calling him "idiot" in front of other students, and listening to my walkman in homeroom.
He is undoubtedly the single most influential writing teacher I've ever had. There are things he taught me in junior high that have become staples of my writing style. Take my ability to craft amazing similes for instance. The only reason I've got such a knack for it is because Cibula spent a month or so teaching the class to recognize the difference between simile and metaphor and making us write examples of each. That's just one of many quirks that I can point to my writing and say "Cibula taught me that." it wouldn't be much of a stratch to say that he molded me into the writer I am today. (Whether that's actually something to be proud of is anyone's guess.)
Anyhoo, what's the first link on the list of results? His blog! Of course, I wasn't initially sure it was his blog. I read through a few entries looking for references to his teaching career, time spent in New York, his wife, his kids, his four published children's books. I found all of the above. The writing sounded like his, I knew I had found Matt Cibula.
I'd actually found him before. On a similar night back during junior year, on one of my first evenings working at the music library, I'd been caught up in another wave of nostalgia and had done the same thing. At the time he'd been writing a serial novel called "The Sanchez Report" for a kid's website. I found an email address for him on the site, but I was too afraid to write him. Teachers meet so many kids, I was afraid he wouldn't remember me, and even if he did, I doubted he'd give a shit about whatever happened to me. Even so I did draft an email to him just saying how much I learned from him and what an inspiration he'd been to me. The letter was long and sentimental and half way through I abandoned the idea of contacting him. I had always respected his opinions, and I didn't want to be crushed by a possibly flippant response.
But to comment on a blog doesn't require one to be particularly deep or thoughtful. I felt like I was in luck. His most recent entry, written only a day or two before indicated that he would no longer be using this blog which meant if I wanted to say something I had to say it quick. I typed a brief comment asking if he was indeed the Matt Cibula who taught me twelve years ago. Then I sat there for 45 minutes debating whether or not to post it. My fear of rejection was just as strong as it had been four years ago. Eventually I decided to just post it. I wanted to, it was important to me, so I did it.
First thing I did at work this morning was check his blog to see if he'd responded. He had :-) Just a quick comment saying "yes, carla, it is me. how are you? email me!" He'd also thrown me a hello in the following entry which delighted me to no end. So tonight I emailed him. My message was long and rambling and probably just as silly and sentimental as the one I drafted four years ago, but I finally got to tell him how greatly he'd influenced me. That was very important. Now he knows that he had a lasting effect on at least one of his students. I can think of no better compliment to pay a teacher. Now regardless of whether he even bothers to respond I've said what I needed to say, and pushed myself past the fear of saying it.
Maybe in another ten years I'll muster the courage to tell David, Tom, and Natania how amazing I think they are.
So there's the first great thing that happened today, second great thing is that NYIT closed down due to inclimate weather at 5PM today. I only had to work two hours! As we shuffled out amid a crowd of severely pissed off students, Charles and I prayed the school would be closed again tomorrow. *raises glass* Here's to hoping.
And last but not least when I got home this evening I found a nice little notice in my mailbox letting me know that the Knox College Choir would be performing at Carnegie Hall in March. Though I don't think I can attend the concert, they're also gonna perform at St. John's Church, a free show that actually falls on my day off. Needless to say it's gonna take a pretty big tsunami to keep me away. I still have friends in the choir who I haven't seen in a long time and I'm not about to miss an opportunity to rub elbows with 'em. So how many of you guys are in choir this term. I know
irishelf is. What about you ninquark? leopardqueen? Who else am I missing? I hereby obligate all of you to at least give me a hug on your way through the Big Apple. Deal?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-03-01 06:46 am (UTC)Seriously he was probably really flattered.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-01 06:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-01 06:57 am (UTC)choir nazi present!
Date: 2005-03-01 01:32 pm (UTC)Re: choir nazi present!
Date: 2005-03-02 07:21 pm (UTC)