What Makes a Good Teacher

One reason I’m grateful to my colleagues is that, occasionally, they provide clarity.

So this morning I go to the weekly meeting.   The new department chair reminds us about student portfolios.   To which I reply, ‘Huh?   Is anyone keeping portfolios?’

“You remember, the one’s we’ve been keeping since Charlie was boss three years ago.”

“You mean those dusty cardboard boxes in the back closet?   We gave that up for a lost cause two years ago.   We should update the dusty boxes?”

At which point my colleague, Jack, says, “You know what your problem is?   You spend too much time worrying about term papers and such.   You need to stop worrying about teaching, and start concentrating on looking good.”

“Yea — and you need more bits of colored paper on the wall,” David says.   “Nothing says Great Teacher like colored bits of paper on the wall.”

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Filed under: Prose, Publius