My alter ego is Bilbo Baggins. In preparation for Peter Jackson's release of the movie in December 2012, I am re-reading the book, which I enjoyed as a child. As an adult I continue to appreciate Tolkien's use of archetypes. Somehow in his fantastic world that is so different from ours, his characters manage to mirror the human experience. Bilbo does just that for me. He doesn't want to leave the comfort of Bag End, but with a little nudge from Gandalf, he goes outside of his comfort zone, and in the end he proves himself to be a real hero. Just like in the real world, if you want to have any rewarding experience, you have to be willing to take risks, and you never know what you are capable of until you are tested.

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Although the metaphor might be a stretch, my teaching philosophy is to get the students so interested in the material that I become barely a part of the exercise. In that way, they stay engaged and are able to use English more freely. Technology has had a small role in my teaching so far. I use the occasional powerpoint and online videos for listening exercises. Aside from those, I'm not sure what's out there, but I'm open to the possibilities of incorporating more technology use into my classes.