Louis -
Thank you for your heartfelt note. I have appreciated what you have
shared with this list and am glad to hear that I will be able to
continue to do so. What I appreciate most about what you have written
here is that you have given a human side of you. Although I suspect you
have never intended it, many of your other posts have left an impression
of you that you have no doubts, fears, or exasperations in the teaching
or personal arenas. This can have a tendency to make some others feel a
little bit more like they are hopelessly lost and not up to the task.
(Perhaps this is part of the reason some people have flamed so much...
Although this is no excuse) I think my general request would be, if you
find that something you are doing in the teaching process doesn't work
out, how did you work it to make it better? That might help some of
us...
I really appreciate all that you have written. And, what you have
written just now is a wonderful added dimension that makes you more
visible as a human being.
- Judith Roberts
City College of San Francisco
(mostly a lurker... )
>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 08/09/03 06:12 AM >>>
Gary, I have to admit I'm nervous about sending this response to
your request to go public with all my responses. I guess I'm edgy that
all I will be doing is providing what some will crack into gasoline to
pour onto their fire. Being nervous is okay; letting my nervousness
control me is not. I tell that constantly to the students; I cannot do
otherwise. So, you want me to go public with my comments. Fine. Here
goes.
I freely admit that often I am saddened and often I am stunned
when well-intentioned and well-educated people make personal accusations
on my character and motives while ignoring the questions I ask and
issues
I raise that associated with pedagogy specifically and education in
general. I know there is a diverse population on this list. I know
each
of us is not above human fraility. I know I cannot please everyone and
be
the person each of you may want me to be, do what you may want me to do,
say what you may want me to say. This is a discussion list on Teaching
in
Psychology. Many of you prefer to focus on the psychology aspect of
this
list. Many of you, as do I, prefer to focus on the teaching aspect of
this list. I am an accompished historian by training and achievements
and
reputation. I take pride that I am struggling to be a teacher in every
sense of the word. I cannot hope to engage on any equal footing in any
discussion on the subject of psychology, although as any student I
reserve
the right to ask questions. I can engage in discussions on educational
philosophy, in and out of classroom experiences, teaching methods and
techniques, student involvement in learning, and my intertwined personal
and professional self. I know I do not know who each of you are as some
of you think you know all about me. If anyone wants to know anything
about me, as I tell the students on the first day of class, ask
away--respectfully. What do you want to know about me; I have nothing
to
hide.
It is a mistake to be someone other than myself, although
"myself"
is more of a term of on-going developing process than stasis. It is
equally a mistake to think I can please everyone. It is a mistake to
think everyone will agree with my views. It is still another mistake to
think that everyone will read every word closely. And, it is still yet
another mistake to write to each of you rather than write from myself.
It can be discouraging when decent, informed, sincere people will take
offense and be offensive by well-intentioned reflections, sharing of
experiences, celebration of student potential and achievements,
comemoration of learning, sharing of educational philosophies. I am
willing to run that risk. I think an on-going discussion on teaching,
learning, purpose, and philosophy are that important.
At times, I can be sloppy stylistically. I write in a state of
spontaneity. Sometimes, my fingers go faster than my mind. I don't
tweek, rewrite, for fear of the presence of my lurking demon who had for
too long controlled me: "contrivance." There are times I may
carelessly
paint too broad of a brush and inadvently omit a qualifying "many" or
"too
few" or "some," leaving such modifiers to inference rather than clumsily
and awkwardly inserting them every time. I can be too quick to hit the
"send" key and forgot first to hit the spell check key or omit a word or
two here and there. I would hope after all this time many of you would
understand, but if some of you want to avoid the issue and nitpick on
style, that, too, I am willing to risk. I am a big boy; I have a thick
skin. After over a decade of self-reflection and transformation, I
don't
have the fragile ego as some of you assert. If I did, I would have
retreated into the shadows of lurking long ago.
Of course, we each are accountable for what we say and do. We
each should be respectful of others' feelings. Disagree as we may, I
have
never flamed anyone as some have me; I have never gotten personal and
engaged in attempted character asassination in my exchange as some of
you
have; I have never challenged your integrity as some of you have
challenged mine; I have never acted in malice towards anyone as some
have
acted toward me; I have never thrown accusations of egotistical,
self-infaturated, self-inflated, self-promoting as any of you as some of
you have at me; I have not called anyone immature as some have me; I
have
not hurled such derivisive terms as "touchy feely" or "New
Ager"--whatever they may mean--at anyone as some have me; I have not
called anyone's ideas idiotic as some have labelled mine; I have not
challenged anyone's veracity and integrity as some of you have mine.
And, the record will show that if ever I have stepped over the line
publically, I have made public apology.
To be sure, over the years, I have raised at times hard issues,
asked uncomforable questions, have taken unpopular positions, have
challenged prevailing attitudes and actions. I always hope we can have
an
open minded, probing exchange according to the rule that we are
permitted
to collegially and cordially and respectflly agree to disagree. That
does
not always happen with some. I am will to risk that.
We each are accountable for and must take ownership of our own
interpretation of and action on other people's motives or words. When I
act in good faith and without malice, as I have always done without
exception, I am simply not responsible for the way any one else feels.
If what I say has any worth, I must draw from and speak about my
personal
and professional experiences, investigations, growths, changes,
attitudes,
outlooks, insights, perspectives, and reflections. I do not believe
that
anyone of us is capable of non-human objectivity. Try as we each may,
we
cannot divorce ourselves from ourselves. To paraphrase Jon Katbat-Zinn,
wherever I go, whatever I say, whatever I think, feel, and do, there I
am.
So, like it or not, you will be hearing more from me on all and
any aspects of teaching and education, working without a net.
This is my last word on this matter.
Make it a good day.
--Louis--
Louis Schmier www.therandomthoughts.com
Department of History
www.halcyon.com/arborhts/louis.html
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia 31698 /~\ /\ /\
(229-333-5947) /^\ / \ / /~ \ /~\__/\
/ \__/ \/ / /\ /~ \
/\/\-/ /^\___\______\_______/__/_______/^\
-_~ / "If you want to climb mountains, \
/^\
_ _ / don't practice on mole hills"
-\____
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