tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post8789903168570355446..comments2024-02-28T18:29:41.120-08:00Comments on Not of General Interest: The relatability factorundinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589384016564587214noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post-12150018258961759442013-10-18T06:17:56.852-07:002013-10-18T06:17:56.852-07:00I meant to add--in this area, younger students (no...I meant to add--in this area, younger students (not university age) will ask if an author was Christian OR Catholic, which they see as mutually exclusive. To echo sophylou: huh?undinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05589384016564587214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post-9744288173361442522013-10-18T06:15:37.941-07:002013-10-18T06:15:37.941-07:00tenthmedieval, that's a little alarming that t...tenthmedieval, that's a little alarming that the students can't make that historical distinction. undinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05589384016564587214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post-39069281962039054872013-10-10T10:46:26.741-07:002013-10-10T10:46:26.741-07:00"I once had a student accuse me of approving ...<i>"I once had a student accuse me of approving of McCarthyism because I was describing what it involved. Huh?"</i><br /><br />A contact of mine who teaches a medieval survey at a deep-south US university complains that she regularly gets both congratulated and taken to task by her students for her defence of Catholicism. She was at her wits' end about it: people in the Middle Ages were Catholic! What can I do? and so on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post-63265127556366876272013-09-30T17:51:07.853-07:002013-09-30T17:51:07.853-07:00Spanish prof--That's an impressive level of im...Spanish prof--That's an impressive level of impact--a tattoo! It sounds as though they have more of an intellectual connection (if at all) with Garcia Marquez but both kinds with Paco Ignacio Taibo II. <br /><br />sophylou--I agree. There's also something of privilege in that attitude "I can teach what I love and the rest of you lesser minds have to teach what I don't care to." <br /><br />nicoleandmaggie--"Because it's important"--exactly. Not everything you learn or teach can be fun, and there's a lesson in that for the students, too (basics and electives being an example). undinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05589384016564587214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post-61179628834955067482013-09-29T13:08:01.075-07:002013-09-29T13:08:01.075-07:00I teach stuff I find boring too (taxes, various ac...I teach stuff I find boring too (taxes, various accounting exercises, etc.), because it's important. If it weren't important and it was boring, then I wouldn't teach it. Maybe it's even more obvious in something sequential like math or economics why you still have to teach things that don't light your personal fire. Otherwise we'd all be teaching specialized upper-level electives and nobody would know the basics.nicoleandmaggiehttp://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post-27078991646900238402013-09-28T19:10:47.781-07:002013-09-28T19:10:47.781-07:00Speaking as a historian, Gilmour's argument th...Speaking as a historian, Gilmour's argument that you should only teach what you love is... um... problematic. I mean, yes, passion is good, but I also would need to teach people about things I don't love, stuff like oh, coverture, slavery, robber barons, McCarthyism (I once had a student accuse me of approving of McCarthyism <i>because I was describing what it involved</i>. Huh?)<br /><br />It seems to me that it should be about the instructor loving the field (i.e. a love for literature, for history, etc.) rather than only teaching the aspects of it that they happen to love. At least, for something intended to be a survey. sophylouhttp://girlhistorian.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post-33280738811194584672013-09-27T13:46:31.722-07:002013-09-27T13:46:31.722-07:00Gilmour is probably a complete jerk. That being sa...Gilmour is probably a complete jerk. That being said, as a professional I teach both things I have to teach and things I love. This semester, I am teaching Garcia Marquez's "No One Writes the Colonel" in one course, and Paco Ignacio Taibo II (Mexican crime fiction) on another. Garcia Marquez is the "have to" teach author. Taibo, although it is crime fiction, is not easy for the students (pure Mexican slang). <br /><br />Maybe I am not a great professional, but my lack of enthusiasm for Garcia Marquez seems to translate into the students. I am diligent, prep every class, etc, but they just didn't get into the text. With Taibo it was the complete opposite. I've had the most amazing discussions, the students have impressive insights into the novel, the enthusiasm was there. In fact, a student tattooed a quote from the novel on her arm and showed it to me proudly! She explained how it had resonated with her and had put into words certain personal issues she had been having this past yearsSpanish profhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248530328973177920noreply@blogger.com