Tag Archives: college

The Particularly Pompous Professor

Posted on April 5, 2025 by mitchteemley

I had a college Literature professor who loved to pontificate. Once he’d made a pronouncement, there was simply nothing more to be said. The class was aching to see him taken down. One day he proclaimed, “All books titled after … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Sometimes the Teacher Becomes the Student

Posted on March 31, 2025 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week This is a true story. I tutored writing students at a community college, and a suburban pop culture drone had just asked why she should “do punctuation.” “Because it’s the only thing that separates us from … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, For Pastors and Teachers, Humor, Memoir, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 86 Comments

Putting My Search for Meaning On Hold

Posted on March 11, 2025 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir I’d been admitted, I discovered, to one of the top drama schools in the country. The “Welcome Theatre Majors! Party” at a wealthy alumna’s pad, revealed two other things: they could drink and they could think. If they’d been … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir, Religion/Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Moving Out and Moving On

Posted on March 4, 2025 by mitchteemley

Photo by Mantas Hesthaven My Real Memoir Being the director of a bohemian arts academy, at age twenty-five, gave me a certain “successful young artist” veneer. I barely made rent, but I dated a lot of our students. Pauline wasn’t a stunner, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Don’t Step On a Crack!

Posted on October 3, 2024 by mitchteemley

My Age of Anxiety A true story There were signs early on, but I was too young to know what they meant. In primary school I heard the phrase, “Step on a crack and break your mother’s back,” and started … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Disappointed With My Life

Posted on August 27, 2024 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir I needed a reboot. I didn’t know the term yet because it was only 1972, and I wouldn’t own a computer for another decade. But computer programmers coined the term reboot that year in reference to having … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Closed Doors

Posted on August 20, 2024 by mitchteemley

Source: topteny.com My Real Memoir Open doors. Every year, as winter faded and spring approached, it seemed a new door would open, leading me from a darkened room into a new one bright with possibilities. Two years previous, I’d gone … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 43 Comments

Out of the Frying Pan…

Posted on July 30, 2024 by mitchteemley

Image by Cr-AI-tive My Real Memoir “…and into the fire” is a pretty accurate description of my last year of college. Only it wasn’t a sudden “Damm-this-is-hot!” leap, it was more of an in-the-air rhumba full of improvised gyrations. Some … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

My Favorite Roommates: Doug and My Dog

Posted on July 23, 2024 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir “Why?” That was the first word out of my new roommate’s mouth when he discovered someone had stolen his decomposing 1954 Nash. “Well, I hope they put it out of its misery,” he chuckled. That, in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Finally Up to Bat!

Posted on March 5, 2024 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir “When you can’t find a way,” my hero George Pal had told me, “make a way.” I’d decided to do just that. For starters, my GPA had plummeted so badly that I was in danger of winning … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments