In response to a friend who had just been denied a very
prestigious public appointment in the governance of England by the
lamenting the fact to him while worrying about his future, Sir Thomas
Moore made the following
Sir Thomas Moore:
Why not be
a teacher? You'd be a fine teacher; perhaps a great one.
But if I was, who would know it?
Sir Thomas Moore: You;
your pupils; your friends;
God. Not a bad public, that.
My "Philosophy of Teaching"
from The UVM Record, October 8, 1999)
In teaching, CONTENT IS THE CORE NECESSITY. Come
to class unprepared and your students will know it. Worse, do it
several times and you will lose them. I take knowing your subject cold
as a given. But content, while necessary, is not sufficient. That, after
all, is why we are called teachers.
To wit, my top ten observations on becoming a better teacher.
- Moses could come down to lecture
Old Testament and students would fall asleep if he didn’t apply energy
style to his work.
- Teaching done well takes effort.
Sweat if you have to, and it’s OK to let them see you do it.
- Everyone has a style. Find yours
and work at developing it.
- Don’t be pretentious, but never be
palsie-walsie either. Act your age and your status. If you need friends
get them somewhere else.
- Never be cynical about what it is
you are teaching. If you don’t believe in it, why should
- Just because you are not a friend
doesn’t mean you can’t be nice.
- If you miss a class—for any
reason—make it up.
- Don’t be a jerk about exams.
- This doesn’t mean you can’t be
- Never forget that teaching beats
the hell out of working for a living!