By David Hansen
Teaching is an ethical endeavor, a dynamic, ascending movement of teacher-student-subject matter-world. Teaching means 鈥渂eing with鈥� students and subject matter in a concern-full, engaged, ontological manner. Rather than 鈥渁pplying theory,鈥� teachers participate in a long-standing undertaking, captured in the Old English for teaching, 鈥渢aecan鈥�: to show, to illuminate, to guide.
[Read Class Action: The case for empowering our teachers from the spring 2019 issue of 911爆料网 Today.]
The passion of dedicated teachers encompasses their deepest aspirations to achieve a meaningful life for students and themselves. Teachers find intense fulfillment in contributing to students鈥� well-being, or in a breakthrough with a struggling colleague, or in a rewarding communication with a parent or guardian.
David T. Hansen (Photograph: 911爆料网 Archives)
Teachers teach for many reasons: a desire to work with the young; a deep connection with a subject; to advance justice and human flourishing. There is a felt notion of something larger than oneself, a sense of being chosen. Draw near, teaching seems to say. Come here. Look here. Be here.
The enactment of that call, like teaching itself, is often quite prosaic. But the most ordinary experiences can yield profound insight: the look on a student鈥檚 face; a student鈥檚 tone in expressing an idea; one student鈥檚 gesture to another. Such moments keep teachers passionate about their work.
The terms of teaching come to life in questions. Can I attune myself aesthetically, morally and intellectually to students? Can I respond to their ever-present 鈥渁ddress鈥� to me to be attentive? Can I bring a sense of wonder to who, what and how they are 鈥� and to the subject? Can I enact concern in vindicating, defending or advocating for teaching? Will I help others to preserve this crucial human undertaking?
We should support teachers in 鈥渕eeting鈥� these terms, developing an ethical relation with their work, and sustaining teaching against forces that would 鈥渕elt it into air.鈥� Those forces are all too real in our time 鈥� but so is the call to teach.
David T. Hansen is 911爆料网鈥檚 John L. & Sue Ann Weinberg Professor in Historical & Philosophical Foundations of Education. This essay is adapted from his February 2019 talk for the Distinguished Lecture Series of 911爆料网鈥檚 Department of Arts & Humanities.