A Humbling Thought for Teachers,
But a Good Reminder for Mentors
'You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it in himself.'
--Galileo Galilei
Working With Words
A weblog devoted to spurring a conversation among those who use words to varying degrees in their daily work. Hosted by John Ettorre, a Cleveland-based writer and editor. Please email me at: john.ettorre@gmail.com. "There comes a time when you realize that everything is a dream, and only those things preserved in writing have any possibility of being real." --James Salter
Thursday, March 04, 2010
About Me
- Name: John Ettorre
- Location: Cleveland, Ohio
I'm a Cleveland, Ohio-based writer, editor and writing coach, with more than 25 years of experience, including stints in Chicago and Washington, D.C. My work has appeared in more than 100 print and online publications, from the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor to local and regional publications. My work has been recognized by awards (including an Emmy) from four journalism groups.
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10 Comments:
Goes along with this anonymous quote:
"You can only teach an equal."
Thanks.
Wow.
"You can only teach an equal."
That is one of the most powerful things I have ever read. It speaks VOLUMES.
Learning is remembering what we already know. :)
(paraphrased from my cherished Richard Bach's Illusions book)
I'm not familiar with Bach or that book, Kim. What makes you cherish it so much (and I've always cherished the word "cherish." To me, it signals so much more than even love or affection).
Richard Bach is of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" fame, but Illusions is my favorite book of his.
Here is another example: You teach best what you most need to learn. And my favorite: "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly."
Ah, now there's something I'm familiar with. Thanks for enlightening me, Kim. This favorite of yours reminds me a little of one of my favorite novels: Something Happened, by Joseph Heller. Though he's famous for Catch-22, I think the former book is his real masterpiece. Anyone else read it? If not, I can't recommend it highly enough.
Funny - I tell a group of 6th grade boys this all the time - "I can't make you learn to read - you have to want it too - then I can help you."
I think that notion should be tripled or quadrupled for sixth grade boys.
Significant article. Keep going for another. Thanks.
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