The "Why" of the Essays

By day, I teach medical school physiology and write textbooks. By night, I write personal essays  about medical school teaching from the vantage of a five-decade faculty career.

These essays are about the intangibles that nurture us as teachers. What thrills or dismays us. What makes us feel worthy or tests that self-worth. What makes us keep striving to “get it right” or pushes us to the brink of quitting.

Stories have the power to inspire, to motivate, to celebrate good times, and to see us through hard times.  When I tell the story of This Will Never Do at faculty workshops, I'm inevitably taken aside by a beginning teacher who's relieved to learn of my rocky start. In turn, their teaching story tumbles out, and we bond as fellow strivers in the classroom. 

In this collection of personal essays , I share some of the between-the-line insights that I've discovered as a longtime medical educator. Mostly, I hope to inspire the next generation of teachers — more than ever, we need you !

 Linda S. Costanzo

2026

See essays below!