“The best teaching can be done only when there is a direct individual relationship between a student and a good teacher—a situation in which the student discusses the ideas, thinks about the things, and talks about the things. It’s impossible to learn very much by simply sitting in a lecture, or even by simply doing problems that are assigned.”
“But physics is like carpentry: Using the right tool makes the job easier, not more difficult, and teaching quantum mechanics without the appropriate mathematical equipment is like asking the student to dig a foundation with a screwdriver. (On the other hand, it can be tedious and diverting if the instructor feels obliged to give elaborate lessons on the proper use of each tool. My own instinct is to hand the students shovels and tell them to start digging. They may develop blisters at first, but I still think this is the most efficient and exciting way to learn.)”
“Teaching is a noble profession,” Horsley said. “Oh. How do you decide which professions are noble?” “It is very easy. If a majority of people want their child to choose a certain profession, then the profession is not noble, and it would not help civilisation. For example, teaching. People say that it is a good job that creates good citizens. If your neighbour is teaching, you say that he is doing a good job for the society. However, you tell your child that teaching is not enough, and he should do something that makes more money.”
“Be anxious for nothing.”
“Talk a little less, listen a little more, and you ll be a lot wiser”
“La scuola, per prima, dovrebbe creare dei veri comunicatori, cioè dei docenti che siano in grado di trasmettere nel migliore dei modi il sapere ai loro allievi. Non basta, infatti, essere laureati in Fisica per insegnare Fisica o essere laureati in Lettere per far amare gli autori classici, occorre anche preparazione pedagogica. Sono rimasto allibito quando una studentessa di Pedagogia mi ha detto che i suoi due esami principali (Pedagogia I e Pedagogia II), sui quali avrebbero dovuto basarsi le sue conoscenze pedagogiche, consistevano nella lettura di una quindicina di libri di D Annunzio e di Nietzsche! La libertà di insegnare è una bella cosa, ma non insegnare a insegnare mi pare una follia senza giustificazioni! Anche perché i danni in questo modo si perpetuano, di generazione in generazione.”
“Like voices humming along a telegraph wire, Evie thought. That was how to teach it. One could rest one s hand upon the past, feel the vibrato, one could close one s eyes, lean low and listen hard. If you were paying attention, one could hear the voices underneath the past. And that was time.”
“The higher position one has, the more they should embrace the divine rules; for the true king is not almighty, but handicapped by his responsibilities and duties. The true ruler s first thoughts are his people and the laws of the elders, for if he carelessly breaks them and harms his people, he is no more a true king, but a worthless man with a glittering crown which has lost its primal purpose and thus its inner brilliance.”
“I cannot waste my time teaching mediocrity, to J. Henry Harper, when he quit teaching an open-to-all illustrating class at Drexel Institute... from Where Your Heart Is...The Story of Harvey Dunn, Artist. page 32.”
“I favor weapons of mass instruction.”
“A she-wolf teaches her cubs: Bite like I do, and that s enough. A she-rabbit teaches her offspring: Run like I do, and that s also enough. But a man teaches his children: Think like I do, and that s a crime.”
“İt is great honour for me to teach an intelligent person. However, it becomes waste of energy and time to teach something to a stupid fool, when under some efforts are under way you realize the stupidity of this person. For that reason, the appreciation of the teaching as a whole is determined by the social environment – this can be very honourable or meaningless job, depending on the level of intelligence of the audience to which it refers.”
“Learn the art of living in the desert from a camel; learn the art of jumping from a kangaroo! The person who does the job best is also the best teacher in that job!”
“But don’t you know, Mr. Stoner?” Sloane asked. “Don’t you understand about yourself yet? You’re going to be a teacher.” Suddenly Sloane seemed very distant, and the walls of the office receded. Stoner felt himself suspended in the wide air, and he heard his voice ask, “Are you sure?” “I’m sure,” Sloane said softly. “How can you tell? How can you be sure?” “It’s love, Mr. Stoner,” Sloane said cheerfully. “You are in love. It’s as simple as that.”
“Taking the risk to make the difficult and right choice leads to great rewards including stronger connections, safer schools, and more courageous peer groups.”
“Poets much teach what they know if we are to continue being”
“Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find your way to such teachers, you will always find your way back. Sometimes it is only in your head. Sometimes it is right alongside their beds.”