blog

A story in three pictures, titled “The Vertical One is Just Slightly Harder Chalk”.

One

Two

Three

Things you should probably find out by yourself, rather than read in a blog, if you aspire to be a teacher:

• All that you work on with your students is gone after two years – all of your files lost, all the paper recycled. The fraction of a percent that may remain in the students’ minds after that time, however, is entirely in your hands.
• There is no consensus on the purpose of education. Ultimately however, whether your focus is on intellectual stimulation, professional skills, or acquisition of information, your work goes towards defining the students’ role in society, and you act as a filter.
• We are no more equal in intellectual terms than we are in physical terms. Beyond the student’s background and motivation, a great and cruel share of his/her success is defined by sheer intellectual brainpower.
• The nature of teaching is peer pressure. The real value added by the teacher is the process that keeps the student focused. There is nothing you bring that your students couldn’t learn by themselves. “Teacher” is just a pompous word for “coach”.
• Grades are meaningless and useful. They are meaningless for very apparent reasons. They are useful in that they serve as a metric for the student’s time budgeting. If that is not tormenting, you likely are getting one of those characteristics wrong.
• The balance of power between students and teacher is overwhelmingly and unhealthily tipped towards the teacher. Signs that you are doing a good job are subtle; the difference made is important but it makes for weak signals in class. Lower your standards and mostly nothing will happen.
• Intellectual stimulation is addictive. Intellectual intercourse is irreparably addictive.
• Blackboard chalk gets into everything.

• Any given point of equilibrium should only be given as much attention as its stability. This applies to vehicle dynamics, to politics, and I suspect to everything in between.
• Soja milk > cow milk
• The rules are always written by the strong, regardless of whether they are written for the benefit of the weak. Rules written by the weak never have any value.
• Pink is a nice color.
• How to show by calculation that any given event can happen in one direction only.
• Age is the largest ingredient of perspective. The shifting’s half of the thing.
• Never put a tie in the washing machine.

In 2012 I have taken a break from learning more about ever less, and have temporarily learned a little about much. But 2013 might not see any less obscure or convolute posts written here.