I started reading the New Yorker to keep up with my English teacher colleagues! I always felt like I wasn't a "real" English teacher, since my degree is in Special Ed, with an English minor. I finagled my way into the certification (actually, I was National Board certified in Language Arts, more work than I've ever done) Some of them were published authors! I've always loved writing, and always been a reader, but I don't really love some of the classics. I do like Shakespeare (taught A Midsummer Night's Dream for years and produced a dramatic version several times), but I really like the American classics. I took a class in the American short story, which was one of the best classes I've ever taken.