Is teaching an “art”?

I’m in my 10th year teaching college (yes Mom, I’m THAT old) –the last 7 years I’ve been full-time at BNCC.  That means I teach 30 credit hours per semester…

For those of you who are in more normal professions, let me clue you into something — they don’t teach you how to teach in grad school… they teach you how to research in your discipline.  They may offer some seminars on teaching and learning, but at least 95% of the coursework is about the discipline..

Yep — that’s  what y’all are paying high college tuition rates for, right… good researchers?  Thought so…

Anywhoodle, after completing my MA, I learned to teach by doing.  Call it trial and error, on the job training or whatever…  the point is that I figured it out on my own.

As you might have guessed by now, I’m still thinking about Andy’s discussion of “Art” and “Artists”…

The essence of his definition of an artist is someone who combines their knowledge, skill and experience to create.  They’ve paid their dues and are open to the direction their creative spark may lead them.

A lot of teaching is more like a performance art than any other job I’ve had.  Leading a good classroom discussion takes the knowledge gained in grad school and combines it with my experience in the classroom to create a learning environment.

Sometimes, just occasionally, something nearly magical happens to me in the classroom.  I’ll find a new way to connect to a class.  I’ll hear something come out of my mouth that explains a concept or challenges my class in a new way.  When it happens it surprises me, generally in a good way.

It may not always work — because, like other enterprises involving human beings, my “brilliance” is open to interpretation and application by people who aren’t me… sigh. If Andy figures out a way to make a vibrator for his guitar, we can equip our classroom chairs with a similar item… or, that may not be such a bright idea… but it would probably increase class attendance.

Perhaps there’s an art to teaching — and perhaps good teaching is part perspiration, part preparation and part inspiration — maybe that’s what Andy’s trying to get to when he defines “artist” — someone who combines those three things… hmmm…

 

 

I think I need a Dildo for my guitar??????

In my latest fancy pants British acoustic guitar magazine there is a new device that you place on the front of your guitar that gently vibrates. What’s the point you ask?  Old well played guitars simply sound better. The first trick of course is that the wood always maintains a reasonable humidity. Wood does not do well with conditions that are too dry, too wet or too much of both.

Secondly, The vibration of the strings over time helps to settle all of the complicated joints and braces relax and snuggle in just perfectly. The result is a complex and lush tone that you only find in special guitars…………….in other words, not a guitar……….”the guitar”

An acoustic guitar is much like Mr. Severtson’s physics class experiment of building the best bridge possible with a certain amount of Popsicle sticks.  The best guitars are very light weight (say around 10 pounds) and can hold 200 pounds of tension constantly. With proper care a fine guitar shouldn’t need anything more then minor adjustment for decades.

So………….do I loose Mojo points for cheating and not playing the guitar for 3 hours a day for 10 years……………is it cheating?    I’m thinking I don’t give a rats ass………………..I want my guitar to sound the very best that it can.

However, this new little invention prices in and 175.00 pounds sterling. Ridiculous!

I have heard (I wouldn’t know for sure because I’m a nice man and not a creep-nick) That there are certain marital enhancers……..batter powered……..small enough to fit into a guitar case that could do exactly the same thing????????

What are your opinions?

 

 

The title Artist…

… is kind of like the title “philosopher” –

I had a hard time, for a long time, calling myself a philosopher.  I’ve been teaching philosophy for 9 years, but just recently called myself a philosopher…. it neatly coincided with the defense of my dissertation, so I ended up as Dr. Patty, Philosopher –

I’m finding my own experience becoming a philosopher as fulfilling an analog to Andy’s definition of an “artist”.  To paraphrase Andy, an “artist” is someone who has both the skill and the vision to create something new.  When they apply their skills to their medium, they more than likely have a direction in mind but they are also open to the creative side of their sub-conscious — and willing to let that into the work.

Reading philosophy isn’t easy.  Writing papers about other philosophers isn’t all that difficult.  I don’t think that doing a lot of that kind of work makes a person a Philosopher.  Also, I hate the way the term “philosopher” and “philosophy” get thrown around by folks who have no idea about philosophy.

My big challenge was realizing that I have good ideas and smart, original, things to say about my area.  It was a confidence thing more than anything else.  The willingess to put new ideas on paper.  Those ideas don’t come from nothing, rather they come from my experiences reading philosophy, thinking about the world, learning to write effectively and evaluating my students’ writing. 

I know that I taught literally thousands of students in philosophy courses (easy to do if you have 250 students per semester..), before I considered myself a philosopher.  For that reason, I completely understand Andy’s reluctance to take on the title “artist”.  When he gets the skills and confidence level he needs to create, he’ll cross the analagous barrier I did to becoming a Philosopher.

Interestingly, the first paper I wrote as a philosopher went over very well at the conference in San Diego. if you’d like to read it, click here for the ISME link to the PDF.  It’s an interesting question — take it or leave it.  I wrote most of it on the deck just before the August submision date — and revised it at the ‘boo.

And, for the record, some blow hard at the bar isn’t a philosopher, he’s an asshole.  A person can be both a philosopher and an asshole — and many philosophers ARE assholes –but, for the most part pontificating wind bags are just that… windbags, it takes extra effort to be a philosopher who is also a pontificating wind bag.