Call me a very fortunate rebel.

My true love is a teacher. A darn good teacher. Maybe one of the best teachers in the world. Because she knows the true mission of a teacher. And that is to encourage her students to become rebels. To reject much of the crap that they are being taught. Mostly by know-nothing teachers. Teachers that teach by rote. Rather than teach students to think for themselves. Independently. Imaginatively. Many teachers teach only so that their students can pass a test. A test that tests their robotic skills. Not thinking skills. When I went to school, I had some lousy teachers. But fortunately, I still learned to be a rebel. I rebelled against my teachers. I refused to allow them to turn me into a robot. Or into an unquestioning patriot. Or a dunce, also known as a Republican. Instead, I became a romantic idealist, a free-thinker, a liberal and a lover. A rebel, too. Maybe a rebel first and foremost. Maybe it’s that I was born a rebel. I didn’t have to be made into one. I’ve always had a disobedient streak. I don’t succumb to or accept the conventions of polite society. Anyway, it’s helped me get through life. Helped me find a true love and a darn good teacher, all rolled into one. Call me a very fortunate rebel. –Jim Broede