A Teaching Life

First, as a teacher and the other, as a writer. From my earliest years, I advocated for a conversation classroom where dialogue became central. As a writer of six books, I made it my mantra to combat the idea of teachers “reciting information,” of being conduits, deliverers of others’ bidding.

But learning about Jim’s idea to “excite with that information” in a lecture hall opens a new perspective for me. Having never taught in a lecture hall (except as a consultant giving keynotes to faculties), I imagine when lecturing, were a teacher not to “excite” students it would not be teaching. He would be acting as an intermediary simply passing on information.

I had several history professors in college. One a young, bright assistant professor of Renaissance Europe, had no clue about “exciting” his audience; he recited his knowledge while most of us yawned. Another, famous for his lectures on Russian tsars, enthralled us with anecdotes, details, and images that had us copiously taking notes; he revealed his love of the Russian ethic and mindset.

Another thought: I recall having to be “exciting” with eighth graders when I “lectured” about Russian geography. As I wrote about in an earlier post, there were days when I would provide information. When studying the Soviet Union, I pulled down a polar-landscape wall map to describe its geography; I would ask my students to write in the names of places on their outline maps. Once we created the landscape, we have discussions exploring the meaning of the Soviet Union’s large size, vulnerable borders, challenge to administrate, its arctic amphitheater, and challenging climate. For me, it was always about seeking meaning, not only for my students but for me.

I am fascinated about that idea Jim’s colleague shared: A good lecture inspires dialogue in the minds of listeners, which in turn they later bring into conversation. I never thought about that. Funny how this life having been a teacher continues to open doors into my mind to this day.