On the basis of various lectures I have given over the years, I have had students reveal to me (often in person, but sometimes via an email message) that they have been sexually abused, that they have had an abortion, or that they have not yet become sexually active and resent being made to feel ashamed of this, or that they have learnt that the person whom they took to be their father was not, or that they are gay. I have watched tears of pain and contrition roll uncontrollably down the face of a student—sometimes a male student; sometimes a female student. A student-professor interaction can occasion a stunning moment of self-discovery on the part of either the student or the professor.
Nothing on the face of this earth could have prepared me for how extraordinarily rich a life being a professor can afford one. The power of affirmation that lies in the hands of each professor is extraordinary: the more accomplished the professor, the greater the power of affirmation. It is said that power corrupts and absolutely power corrupts absolutely. So owing to the extraordinary power of affirmation that comes with the role, being a professor is also a marvelous opportunity to exercise the virtue of self-command.
Of course, most people who pursue the doctorate are interested in research; and these individuals often have the hope of making a major contribution in their field. Thus, they often view teaching as a simply a means to that end. There is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to make a major contribution on one’s field, though the truth is that most of us will do no such thing. Over lunch, a very well-known philosopher, one of John Rawls’s beloved students in fact, expressed great concern over whether or not John Rawls would be much remembered after his death. I thought to myself: “If one could have this concern about John Rawls, widely acknowledged to be the leading political philosopher of the 20th Century, then when it comes to being remembered by posterity it surely does not look good for the rest of us!” There is no reason not try, though.
This brings me back to teaching. If the life of the academy is the pursuit of knowledge, then Plato was right to recognize that the pursuit of knowledge is necessarily personal (though, to be sure, we draw the lines of the personal quite differently nowadays). Teaching is necessarily personal precisely because it is about affirmation. Machines can confirm that an answer is correct; but they can never affirm the individual. And knowing that one has the correct answer pales in comparison to having the affirmation and admiration of a professor. This is why on-line education is no equal to the instruction of a professor.
As a professor, one must be able to encourage students without raising false hopes; one must be able to offer criticisms without destroying hope. One must be able to gain the trust of students, and yet have the wherewithal not to abuse it. One must welcome the loyalty of students, but be strong enough to encourage their independence.
To be a good professor is to have the ability to negotiate with grace and aplomb between sameness and difference. On the one hand, everyone in the class is equally a student; on the other, each comes to the class with her or his own history, sense of self, and sensibilities. One person rightly thinks that she is extremely talented, but has troubling allowing that others might be her equal. Another student has trouble taking himself seriously. One student requires a discourse in order to see a point; whereas for another a mere suggestion will do.
A good professor has to get these differences right most of the time. This means that the professor has to operate with a considerable amount of self-knowledge. Moreover, she or he must be very good at listening to her or his students, and rather adept at monitoring their non-verbal behavior.
For these reasons, and many more, my students have taught me more about myself than I would ever have imagined. Insofar as I am clear about who I am, insofar as I am clear about my strengths and weaknesses of character, along with my ability to bring insight to bear upon an ever so unexpected moment, I owe so very much to my students.
Self-command and purity of heart are among the greatest gifts that human beings to their social interaction. In this regard, the college classroom is nothing at all if it is not a mighty crucible for occasioning these gifts.
