During last week’s snow day, my complete series 1 Doctor Who box set arrived by mail outside my door, leading to a rather nice day, locked inside my apartment, going through each of the discs.
Since that time, it’s been my primary tool, during class work periods, to introduce some of my young charges to the joys of a certain Time Lord, travelling in his battered old Police Box.
But why, you ask?
Because Doctor Who helped to make me a teacher. It was the show that introduced me to concepts of history, science, literature, wit, and humanity that I wouldn’t have been exposed to any place else. Not even by Star Trek.
Doctor Who is what introduced me to the Aztecs…to Marco Polo…to the Great Fire of London…to the Victorian era…
Doctor Who is what introduced me to the laws of Thermodynamics…to anti-matter…to astronomy…to the most wild (sometimes amusing!) concepts imaginable, whether it be a giant entropy cloud destroying the universe, or a gateway between the dimensions, or sailing into the heart of a black hole.
Doctor Who is what led me to explore great writers, great artists, and great minds. From Shakespeare to Da Vinci, from H.G. Wells to Douglas Adams, and everyone in between. It even sparked my own interest in voracious reading, and dabbling in writing…
Doctor Who introduced me to philosophy…to great wit…to having passion in life…and it led me to meeting friends I still cherish to this day.
And now, all these years after discovering the show, I have the immense privilege of introducing it to a new generation, thanks to Russel T. Davies’ relaunch. Watching them being won over by the series…and then watching as they explore both new and classic series…through books and DVDs and videos…it brings such immense joy to my geeky, eternally 12-year old heart. They’re feeling exactly what I felt all those years ago…and now I get to re-live it all WITH them.
Some people will think I’m crazy. Some people will think I’m wasting their time. But such people will never understand. This is something special to me…and sharing it with my students is an honour and a joy. Exploring new horizons is what Doctor Who is all about…I’m just helping to take it to the next level…
And I think they approve. 
