What makes a good and memorable teacher — the kind of person who brings out “the very best” in us? This individual must surely be unique because he or she is adumbrated by many thousands of characters that we would obviously like to forget. (1) What can ever expunge, from our shared memory, the embarrassment of being hauled in front of a class, belittled, and made to feel small and insignificant? Now to be fair, many teachers begin optimistically only to be browbeaten by the system and by the students. (2) What is the solution for the future?
I grew up in a time of pronounced negative teaching. (2) The pedagogue was sacrosanct and the student but a vessel to be filled – few questioned the quality of the instruction. In spite of this, if the apathetic teacher could be ignored, you could get through a class with your brain intact. Now we have a new scourge – that of social media – expressed, most dramatically, in the form of a cell phone. It is hard to imagine for most older people, but in your hand, you control the universe.
You have access to everything – all the good and the bad – the corpus of humanity. However, because you are young and don’t yet understand its power, you tease at its edges – computer games, modern music, Facebook, etc. It is a lot like any experimentation, nonetheless. You must know when to limit and thus stifle its nonsensical side. Historically in school, you were emotionally smothered, now students “run the risk” of being intellectually asphyxiated.
What is called for in modern learning is certainly not the recitation of data that can be accessed by any mobile device, but the capacity to ask the right questions. These inquiries give you the keys to the portal leading to wisdom: in short, we should be teaching critical thinking skills.
Now more than ever, a good educator is essential in modern society. What are the qualities of a good tutor? Firstly, that human being must embrace a quasi-religious mission to “do good” in the world. This profession demands the very best in a person. It must be “a calling,” Doctor Schweitzer–like, (4) to affect change and help humanity grow. Secondly, it requires blind dedication — the commitment to get past all the political sides of education and the egos of the parents — to the purity of the child, an open and delicate flower desperate to be nurtured. Thirdly, it demands a rejection of capitalism and the acquisition of money and power. Instructors can never be paid for their extra hours of worry and class preparation. Fourthly, it asks for a type of naïve optimism that, in the end, there will be a better society because of your collective efforts.
And finally, it begs for humor: the capacity to have a good laugh at the vagaries of life. These qualities are but a few of the many attributes, combined together, that sear that teacher into your consciousness some 50 years later. The great poet, writer, and philosopher, Pablo Neruda (5) leaves us with a thought:
Your Laughter
Take bread away from me, if you wish,
take air away, but
do not take from me your laughter.
Do not take away the rose,
the lance flower that you pluck,
the water that suddenly
bursts forth in joy,
the sudden wave
of silver born in you.
My struggle is harsh and I come back
with eyes tired
at times from having seen
the unchanging earth,
but when your laughter enters
it rises to the sky seeking me
and it opens for me all
the doors of life.
My love, in the darkest
hour your laughter
opens, and if suddenly
you see my blood staining
the stones of the street,
laugh, because your laughter
will be for my hands
like a fresh sword.
Next to the sea in the autumn,
your laughter must raise
its foamy cascade,
and in the spring, love,
I want your laughter like
the flower I was waiting for,
the blue flower, the rose
of my echoing country.
Laugh at the night,
at the day, at the moon,
laugh at the twisted
streets of the island,
laugh at this clumsy
boy who loves you,
but when I open
my eyes and close them,
when my steps go,
when my steps return,
deny me bread, air,
light, spring,
but never your laughter
for I would die.
A closing thought: I believe that society thrives on challenges and either grows and matures or contracts and dies because of them. Education, worldwide, is presently troubled more than ever. Teachers are tired and directionless and students are bored and indolent: what is called forth is a new renaissance in education. It will come or mankind will plummet back to the darker recesses of our civilization, but I don’t believe that we are that foolish, are we?
To sum up: This week, we spoke about education and teachers and how the good ones made an unforgettable impact on us.
To be noted: From Benjamin Franklin (6) — Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
Just for fun: Fawlty Towers – Don’t mention the war
For reflection: Morphic Resonance: An Introduction
This week on your restful walk, please ponder the importance of education.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: Personal greatness must be built on a foundation of thought. (7)
Footnotes:
1) American Teachers Feel Really Stressed, And It’s Probably Affecting Students