Quote of the Day (Gilbert Highet, on Teachers Bridging the Age Gap)

“The young think their elders are dull. The elders think the young are silly. This is the basis of the mutual misunderstanding of the ages, on which scarcely anything can get done without compulsion. Yet a clever teacher, who can use his sense of humor in such a way as to show the young that not everyone over twenty-five is dead, will at the same time learn enough about his pupils to see that their silliness is only awkwardness, easy to penetrate and dissolve. Both sides will understand each other better, and work together. Togetherness is the essence of teaching.”—Gilbert Highet, The Art of Teaching (1950)

(As the second half of the school year approaches, many of us no longer poring over our books will still, if we are lucky, remember the teachers who made a difference in their lives. If you ever get a chance to tell them, I hope you’ll do so, because, from friends who have recently labored in this underpaid, grueling, often thankless profession, I can tell you how much they could sure use a word of thanks, at very least. Highet’s book, published in the middle of the last century, might not take into account the very latest in educational theory, but as the above quotation indicates, he still offers some excellent insights into what it takes to excel in leading a classroom.)