From the Bowels of the Educational System

I’m posting this while proctoring the mid-term at Hunter. Blood, sweat and tears. No not really, but …

I just wanted to link a TED lecture about schools that I watched last night with my new favorite proverb: “Some things cannot be taught; they need to be discovered.”

In his TED Prize Wish talk, David Eggers explains how his original vision of an after-school tutoring program ultimately grew into a contagious educational, yet hilarious, franchise.

The proverb comes from a lady by the name of Gangaji (alternative worldview alert). Somewhere in this interview she busts out with it, and I’ve enjoyed applying it since.

The relation between Egger’s talk and Gangaji’s interview lies in the “one-on-one” teaching. Based on my humble and brief but awesome experience as an “adjunct lecturer,” I’m beginning to formulate my own bunch of principles in education. For one, I’m a sucker for precision: don’t come up to me saying something is “interesting” w/o explaining why.

Second, I will categorically refuse to use red while grading. From my experience with the endless stream of editorial notes and comments that is Eli Noam, I’ve come to think of it as snide. Or, in the words of the 34th Grandmaster of Bujinkan, Hatsumi Masaaki, try to “teach without scolding.”

Third, show me how to figure it out once, and I will feel that I can figure out the next thing on my own. It seems to me that most of what you do as a student is, literally, figuring things out. This type of self-reliance, independence, and logistical ability is a fundamental principle. Says Mr Lama, “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

Anyway, with four minutes left on the clock, I suppose I should start worrying about getting their hand-written (sigh) answers organized. Stay tuned.