Why I teach 我为什么要教书.docx

Why I teach 我为什么要教书.docx

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WhyIteach我为什么要教书

WhyIteach

PeterG·Beidler

AlthoughIwasacollegeteacher,itmightbethatmywords,nowsomewhatrevisedandexpanded,mighthavemeaningforteachersatotherlevelsandmighthelpothersdecidewhattodowiththeirlives—especiallyinthiseraofdisillusionedteachersandloomingteachershortages.Iwaspleasedtohave“WhyITeach”madeavailable,onceagain.

“whydoyouteach,Pete?

”MyfriendaskedmequestionswhenItoldhimthatIdidn’twanttobeconsideredforauniversityadministrativeposition.HewaspuzzledthatIdidnotwanttotakewhatwasobviouslyasteptowardwhatallAmericanboysaretaughttowantwhentheygrowup,moneyandpower.ItoldhimwhatasateacherIhadbothadecentsalaryandtheonlykindofpowerworthhaving,thepowertochangelives.“Besides,Isaid”,Ilikemyjobinpartbecausenoadministratorhaseventoldmehowtoteachorwhattoteachorhowtotreatstudents,whywouldIwanttobeanadministratorcutofffromtheonlykindofpowerthatmattersinuniversity?

”

ButhehadstoppedlisteningsoIstoppedtalking.Iwasnotsatisfiedwiththatansweranyhow.Hisquestiongotmethinking,though.Thislittlebookisanextendedanswertothequestion,“whydoyouteach,Pete?

”

CertainlyIdon’tteachbecauseteachingcomesnaturallytome.Iwasaboutthequietestkidinclassallthroughhighschoolandcollege.Myteachersjustcouldn`tgetmetotalk.ThelastthingIwantedtodoforacareerwasstandinfrontofagroupofPeopleandjabber.AndcertainlyIdon’tteachbecauseteachingiseasyforme.TeachingisthemostdifficultofthevariouswaysIhaveattemptedtoearnmyliving:

bulldozermechanic,carpenter,temporarycollegeadministrator,writer.

Formeteachingisared-eye,sweaty-palm,sinking-stomachprofession.Red-eyebecauseIneverfeelreadytoteach,nomatterhowlateIstayupthenightbeforepreparingforclass.Sweaty-palmbecauseIamalwaysnervousbeforeIwalkintothatclassroom,surethatIwillbefoundoutthistime.Sinking-stomachbecauseIwalkoutoftheclassroomanhourlaterconvincedthatIwasevenmorestutteringandbumblingthanusual.

NordoIteachbecauseIthinkIknowanswers,orbecauseofIknowabodyofinformationIfeeldriventoshare.SometimesIamamazedthatmystudentsactuallytakenotesonwhatIsayinclass.

Why,then,doIteach?

Well,IteachbecauseIlikethepaceoftheacademiccalendar.Ilikeitthattwiceayear,whetherIamdoneornot,thesemesterendsandIgettoturninmygradesandmakeafreshstartinanewsemester,unshackledfromthemistakesandproblemsfromthepastone.IteachbecauseJune,JulyandAugustofferanopportunityformyownthreeR’s–reflection,research,andwriting–allingredientsinmyrecipeforteaching.

IteachbecauseIlikethefreedomtomakeownmistakes,tolearnmyownlessons,tostimulatemyselfandmystudents.Asateacher,Iamownboss.IfIwantmyfirst–yearcompositionstudentstolearntowritebycreatinginthecourseofthesemestertheirownwritingtextbook,whoistosayImaynot?

Suchcoursesmybecolossalfailures,butIcanlearnfrommycolossalfailures.Unlikemostprofessionals,Igettoerasemymistakestwiceayear,washtheblackboard,andstartoffonawholenewsetoftrialsandtheerrorsthatcomewiththem.

IteachbecauseIliketoaskquestionsandstudentsmuststruggletoanswer.Theworldisfullofrightanswerstobadquestions.Teaching,Isometimesbrushupagainstgoodquestions.

IteachbecauseIliketolearn.Takethecommaoutofthequestion,“Whydoyouteach,Pete?

”,andyougetabetterquestion,“WhydoyouteachPete?

”IteachPetebecausePetegetsasflatandstaleasday–oldbeerifPetestopslearning.IstayaliveasteacheronlyaslongasIamlearning.OneofthemajordiscoveriesofmyprofessionallifeisthatIteachbestnotwhatIknow,butwhatIwanttolearn.

IteachbecauseIenjoyteachingfindingwayswithinanivorytowerprofessiontogetmyselfandmystudentsoutoftheivorytowerandintotherealworld.Ioncetaughtacoursecalled“self–re`lianceinaTechnologicalSociety.”MyfifteenstudentsreadEmersonandThoreauandHuxley.Theykeptjournals.Theywrotetermpapers.

Butwealsosetupacorporation,borrowedmoneyfromabank,`purchasedarun-downhouseonnearbyVernonStreet,andpracticedself-relianceby`renovatingit.Attheendofthesemesterwesoldthehouse,repaidourloan,paidourcapitalgainstaxes,anddistributedtheprofitsamongthefifteenstudents.

CertainlythiswasnotaverageEnglishcourse.Butfifteenfuturelawyers,accountants,dentists,andbusinesspeoplesuddenlyfoundthemselvesreadingWaldenwithfresheyes.NowtheyknewwhyThoreauwenttothewoods,whyhebuilthisowncabin,andwhyhefeltsogoodabouttheexperimentthathewantedtotelltheworldaboutit.Theyalsoknewwhy,intheend,heleftboththecabinandthewoods.HehadtastedthewatersofWaldenPond.Ttwastimetomovetoothernectars.

Iteachbecauseteachinggivememanynectarstotaste,manybookstoread,andmanyivoryandreal-worldtowerstodiscover.Teachinggivesmepaceandvarietyandchallengeandtheopportunitytokeeponlearning.Iteachforallthosereason,buttheyarenotthemostimportantreasonswhyIteach.

IteachbecauseofVicky.Myfirstdoctoralstudent,Vickywasanenergeticandenthusiasticyoungbubblewhohadtroubleseeingpastthethrillofliteraturetotherigorofacademicscholarship.Butshepluggedawayatherdissertationonanameless,little-knownfourteenth-centurypoet.Shehammeredoutsomearticlesandsentthemtolearnedjournals.ShegotagoodjobinagooduniversityinAt`lanta.Shegotinvolvedinfundraisingforheruniversity.ThelastIheardfromhershewasbeingconsideredforacollegepresidency.Ihadlittletodowithhersuccessasanacademic,butIwasthere,grinninglikeanidiot,whenshegraduated.

Anotherreasonis“Stan,”theAmericanizednameofastudentItaughtasaFullbrighterinChina.DuringChina’sculturalrevolutionStanwatchedhisfatherexecuted,wassenttothecountrysidetobeeducatedbyilliteratefarmers,taughthimselfEnglishwithadictionaryandacoupleofVictoriannovels,andeventuallybecameanEnglishteacherattheChineseuniversitywhereItaughtforayear.IwaseventuallyabletobringhimtoLehighUniversity,whereheearnedhisPh.Ddegree.HeisnowbackinChina,teachingbrilliantly.

AnotherreasonisJeanne.Jeanneranawayfromcollege,butsomeofherclassmatesbroughtherbackbecausetheywantedhertoseetheendoftheself-relianceproject.Iwastherewhenshecameback.Iwastherewhenshetoldme,yearslater,whysheranawaythatsemesterandhowmuchsheneededtocomebacktomycourse.Itisnot,shesaid,thatshewasrebuildingthehouseonVernonStreet.ItwasthatshewasrebuildingJeanne.ThelastIheardshehadfinishedherlawdegreeandwentontobecomeacivil-rightslawyer.

AnotherreasonisGeorge,oneofthebrighteststudentsIhaveeverhad.Hestartedasanengineeringstudent,thenswitchedtoEnglishbecausehedecidedhelikedpeoplebetterthanthings,becausehewasmoreinterestedinpersonalitiesthaninhypotenuses,becauseehpreferredworryingwiththestressfracturesinpeoplethaninthestressfracturesinconcretebeams.HestayedatLehighforamaster’sdegree.ThelastIheardhewasteachingEnglishinajuniorhighschool,shapingpeopleratherthanbridges.

AnotherreasonisJacqui,acleaningwomanwhoknewmorebyintuitionthanmostofuseverlearnbyanalysis,Wechattedaboutthisandthatwhileshewasemptyingmywastepaperbasket.Thenonedaywechatteroveracupofcoffeewhileshewasonherbreak.Thiswomanwhodroppedoutofhighschoolbecamemyteacher.

Shewasamazedthataprofessorwasinterestedinwhatsheknew,amazedthatIwonderwhyanyonesosmartwouldbeemptyingmywastebasket.Shetoldmethatevenworklikethathaditsrewards.LaterJacquiquitherjobandwentbacktofinishhighschool.Iamnotsurewhathadhappenedafterthat.AndIknow,byintuition,thatsheisOK.AndIknowthatsheisnolongeremptyingotherpeople’swastebaskets.Shecan’tbe.

ThesearerealreasonsIteach,thesepeoplewhogrowandchangeinfrontofmyeyes.Beingateacherisbeingpresentatthecreation,whentheclaybeginstobreathe.Nothingismoreexcitingthanbeingnearbywhenthebreathingstarts.

A“promotion”outofteachingwouldgivemegoodmoneyandrealpowerButIalreadyhavegoodmoney-goodinthesensethatIdon’thavetodoanythingbadtogetit.Hey,IgetpaidfordoingwhatIenjoymost:

readingbooksandtalkingwithpeoplewhohavereadingthesamebooks,makingdiscoveriesandaskingquestions…

AndIalreadyhaveapowermorerealthanmostpeopleeverget.Ihavethepowertonudge,tofansparks,towaterparchedroots,toasktroublingquestions,topraiseattemptedanswer,tocondemnhidingfromthetruth,tosuggestbookstoread,topointtowhereapathwaystarts...

Butteachingofferssomethingmorebesidesgoodmoneyandrealpower.Itofferslove.Notonlytheloveoflearningandofbooksandofideas,butalsothelovethatateacherfeelsforthatrealstudentwhowalksintoateacher’slife,beginstobreathe,andthenwalksout.

Perhapsloveisthewrongword.“IsmagicImean?

Magicoriginallymeantsomethingevil,akintowitchcraftandsorcery.Doesitstillhavethatmeaning?

Orititsmeaningnowcontrolledbyitscontext?

Canweimagineacontextinwhichmagichasgoodconnotations?

Whatisaconnotation?

Iteachbecause,beingaroundpeoplewhoarebeginningtobreathe,Ioccasionallyfindmyself,quite