The first time an idea for a book hit me was in 2006. I was four years into my career, teaching high school English in Miami and coaching my younger sister through her own first year as a teacher. Neither of us responded well to the generalized advice or inspirational stories offered to beginning educators. During one discussion, I described a moment from my own rookie year, after a particularly bad month, when a well-meaning colleague gave me the book Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul.

“But on a bad day,” I continued, “new teachers need something stronger than chicken soup. They need something more like Hard Liquor for the Soul.“

Steve Almond is an author of both fiction and non-fiction. He also teaches creative writing workshops, including one called Short Stories that Sing, which I took in 2009 through the Miami Writers Institute. Here are a few great quotes from that class.

These are pieces I found humorous, and they’re definitely short enough to read in one sitting (or share with students if you’re using the humor writing unit plan from TeachersPayTeachers.)