Gire: Teaching reminds me of what I do - and why

I teach writing and journalism for three reasons, aside from supplemental income and filling my spare time with something besides golf or Candy Crush.

1. To be the mentor I never had. I survived 12 years of public education and two college degrees without a single mentor who could help me improve my woefully insufficient writing skills.

I vowed I would one day become that writing instructor, the one who might have reduced decades of mistakes I made while slowly discovering how to write, then how to write better. I distilled this experience into a philosophical practice I call "efficiency journalism" designed to meet the needs of the Internet age.

2. To stay mentally sharp and verbally in shape. Teaching writing and journalism keeps a reporter or editor from becoming complacent, stagnant or burned out. By introducing communication concepts and journalistic practices to students, I constantly remind myself of what I do and why. For in answering students' questions (such as "Why do it that way?") I am, in effect, reteaching myself.

3. To improve and protect a free society. George Orwell once observed that "clear writing is the result of clear thinking." So I begin every class by telling students I cannot teach them how to write better. But I can teach them how to think better, then the writing part will take care of itself.

The quality of our democracy depends on the critical thinking skills of our citizens. The abilities to observe, research, think, write and report ensure the health of a free society - more, I might argue, than the right to bear arms and the right to assemble.

Critical thinking skills constitute the foundation of the American press in all its media configurations. A person armed with the right weapons will be no match for a person armed with the right words.