[Baby Blues, April 20, 2019.]
“What’s this group of stars, Dad?” I like the way Darryl takes his nonsense one step further — not just “Bohemia” but a description thereof.
It’s funny, yes, but an authentic professor would confess to not knowing. And then try to find out.
See also “Keats’ Eremite.”
[A P.S. to S.H.: I remember your presentation on “Rhapsody on a Windy Night,” beginning with the dictionary.]
Saturday, April 20, 2019
“The uh, rhapsody maker”
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comments: 4
And I remember You mentioning that presentation in the wonderful and touching recommendation letter that probably got me into grad school. Thanks for the letter, the shout-out, and the memories.
I remember writing a letter but not what went into it. If you say so. :)
At my local campus not all professors were capable of learning to teach and test on their own (and graduate students have no time to practise teaching on each other) so the administration put on a lecture seminar. The prof teaching it told someone who asked, "What if you don't know?" that you don't want to say "I don't know" very often.
The prof proceeded to teach us all sorts of ways to get around a student's question. I was probably the only undergrad in the room; I still had a year of school left. On the way out I came across my prof. It was the first time I had ever seen her blush. She asked, "You aren't in any of my classes next year, are you?" (No)
I don’t like that kind of evasion, and I know that when I was a student, I always noticed it. If a prof is prepared, there’ll be less of a need to say “I don’t know.” I would always offer some version of “That’s a good question. Let me see what I can find out.” Turning the question back on the student just teaches students that asking a question may mean more work.
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