"But I don't see that it is the job of a teacher to motivate you to attend her class on Beowulf, or to motivate you to read it."
And that is not what I'm saying. Teachers may, however, motivate the student to explore and to discover what may be various pathways of promise and hope.
I am quite sure that you have encountered "teachers" in the pages of books, and that you were motivated to tackle and experience life on a grander scale due to these "teachers." Reading does not come naturally to everyone, but this does not mean that they ought to forfeit the opportunity to be motivated, challenged, or touched at an inner level. If great authors may motivate, uplift, direct, and guide...then why cannot less bookish children be encouraged to find their best selves by exposure to appreciation, active listening, and individualized guidance? The learner will have his or her chance to reach out with the initiative of a mature teacher. Let the teacher reach out to the child while the child is yet a child.
I remember the time when a teacher lent me her copy of Hamlet. That was a special learning experience. It was not special because of Hamlet, though it is a great play. It was special for another reason. And this is as far as I can go in attempting to explain this to you.
EDIT. I see that this reads unclear. It was lent from her home out of her personal library. |
