(Full text at link below)
“And that is why I love teaching the old way, the way that is
driven by a metaphysical conviction about the world and about truth. For me,
this kind of teaching is an act of rebellion in this present age—an attempt in
some small way to convey the idea that the world is given, not constructed, and
that meaning is to be found, not created. A good teacher must always be driven
by conviction—that the world is and that it has meaning, and that it is so much
bigger than any one person can ever apprehend.
Teaching—true teaching, not the mere imparting of techniques or
earning potential—is perhaps the most delightful calling and privilege in the
world. It has its challenges, but it brings incomparable joys. The second
greatest joy I have as teacher is seeing that flash of light in a student’s
eyes when a previously unknown or misunderstood concept suddenly becomes clear
because of something I have said. And the greatest joy (albeit a rarer one) is
the one I experience when a student writes or says something that indicates
they have gone far beyond that which I, as a teacher, have been able to teach
them. When they become greater, I delight that I become less. For such is the
proper order of things, if teaching is truly about truth and not about power or
making disciples. Yet neither joy is possible where there is no truth to
discover and where the world is simply whatever the loudest and most aggressive
among us care to claim that it is. Good teaching is a matter of metaphysics.
And that is why I love teaching the old way, the way that is
driven by a metaphysical conviction about the world and about truth. For me,
this kind of teaching is an act of rebellion in this present age—an attempt in
some small way to convey the idea that the world is given, not constructed, and
that meaning is to be found, not created. A good teacher must always be driven
by conviction—that the world is and that it has meaning, and that it is so much
bigger than any one person can ever apprehend. Teaching—true teaching, not the
mere imparting of techniques or earning potential—is perhaps the most
delightful calling and privilege in the world. It has its challenges, but it
brings incomparable joys. The second greatest joy I have as teacher is seeing
that flash of light in a student’s eyes when a previously unknown or
misunderstood concept suddenly becomes clear because of something I have said.
And the greatest joy (albeit a rarer one) is the one I experience when a student
writes or says something that indicates they have gone far beyond that which I,
as a teacher, have been able to teach them. When they become greater, I delight
that I become less. For such is the proper order of things, if teaching is
truly about truth and not about power or making disciples. Yet neither joy is
possible where there is no truth to discover and where the world is simply
whatever the loudest and most aggressive among us care to claim that it is.
Good teaching is a matter of metaphysics.”
Full text
at:—Carl Trueman, Teaching As Joyful Rebellion
