An English teacher diary

Words give meaning to the world that surround us and reading is a way to understand how others perceive it, what inspires and moves them, what they imagine... When we read we become part of that experience and make it our own based on our personal circumstances.

We can read in different places, from a library to a bench on the street. We can use different formats such as books, newspapers, magazines or ebooks. The texts can come from any time or place. We can be alone or in company, surrounded by people who share our reading material or who don't.

Maybe we have chosen a book, maybe the book has been picked for us with a purpose beyond enjoyment. Maybe the reading we chose was a disappointment whereas the reading someone picked for us became a life-changing discovery. There is no guarantee on this topic because there are a lot of factors involved (moment, context, interests, experiences, emotions, values, etc.) but we can be sure that every person who reads will make their own conclusion and will apply it to their life in a different way. And still, reading has the power to bring people together.

I love the written word. Libraries and bookshops are happy places for me and I'm specially passionate about illustrated editions. However, I don't consider myself an avid reader (at least not as much as I would like). It's being hard for me to focus for a long period of time lately and my "to be read" pile won't stop growing. I still try to maintain reading as an habit and devote a small amount of time each day to read a chapter, or a few poems, or a short essay… Sadly, half the time I just walk my books around because life and distractions get in the way.

On my good times I try to read several types of texts simultaneously (novel, poetry and essays specially) because my preferences vary depending on the moment without making a distinction between Spanish or English. I'm very grateful to my kindle (which has been my faithful companion since 2012) because it's very easy to carry around and allows me to bring more books that could possibly fit on a suitcase (although nothing beats the paper format).

I love reading while travelling or when I'm in bed, but I also like it when a random text suddenly appears and catches my attention (a poem on a wall, an excerpt in a museum, a post on Instagram, a picture of the book someone else is reading...). I'm amazed at how words can still find a way and inspire us even in the most unthinkable places.

As a starting point, I would like to share some of the pages I use the most for reference when teaching English (although there are billions).