We have just passed the anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. At various points in my life, I have been fascinated to distraction (and have completed voluminous reading) on the subject. One of the most unique takes comes from American master Stephen King in his novel 11.22.63.
I will not ruin the plot for anyone. It involves conspiracy and time travel and is truly awesome. What I want to suggest is that King, a former high school teacher himself, has put at the center of the story an English teacher – Jake Epping – because King understands what heroes teachers are.
Epping is tasked with the impossible in this book, but what teacher is not? Epping’s struggle against the forces of fate resonate with me viscerally. Thematically, King elevates the role of teacher to a cosmic level and Epping has to make choices that influence all of humanity.
Sounds like what a teacher does every day.
We never know the influence we have… While culture tends to promulgate the “those who can, do, those who cannot, teach” idiocy, there are hundreds of examples of brilliance and impactful teachers in reality and in pop culture. Every-other-week this year, I will share my brief reflections on Smart People Doing Smart Things be they in literature, in film, in music or in real life. Many will be teachers, but not all. Many will be fictional, but some will be real. All will be inspiring. Welcome to IntelliPop!
