This one got me chuckling knowingly: "he loves the animals, it’s the owners he can’t stand. I thought (but didn’t say), Honey, wait till you meet clients."
I've been teaching consistently for about 20 years now, and I always try to carry the same level of humility you have. I make mistakes every single class I teach, make mental corrections for next time, and move along to the next class. Every lesson is an opportunity for me to gather data, to see which approaches are connecting with which students.
I’m glad you smiled at that. I was a little worried it might come off as cynical. By far the vast majority of my clients have been wonderful. I’m fascinated by the tension between our culture’s striving and the eastern philosophy of emptiness and humility that keeps me sane. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Andrew. Hope you have a good semester.
So interesting to see the teacher's perspective here. I admire your humility in this situation; I'd probably feel hurt, defensive, and indignant after a review like that. It's also really cool to see some of the nuts and bolts of architecture — it's always fascinated me even tho I've never studied it directly. I'm taking notes about how to write a personal essay on difficult moments like this!
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Peter. Believe me, defensive and indignant were two of my first reactions. It stayed with me so I decided to inquire further into it. To turn it around and see what I could learn from it. I was surprised.
This is such a beautiful piece. Indeed, a good teacher is one who recognises that they have a lot of learning to do.
I know what it feels like to be thrown into new field, a field where you need to learn the basics from scratch whereas your mates already have the necessary tool. Sometimes in class everybody seems to know the answer to something you have no idea about; you look like the dumb one. It can be excruciating.
In the end, it takes a lot of patience and hard work to pull through. Oh and a lot of embarrassment too.
Unfortunately not everybody can handle the embarrassment that comes with that.
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts here. What I've observed teaching these particular students over the years is that, in addition to patience and hard work, it takes trust in oneself. Not necessarily confidence -- that will come. But trust in that spark that created the desire in the first place and led to this current moment.
This post touched me. Thank you for being a thoughtful and caring teacher, and a vulnerable writer. I believe in the power of living with love in every interaction. We may not succeed, but we learn and grow, and what we offer to the world matters. Blessings!
Many thanks, Susan, for reading and for your kind words. I'm with you on coming from love. It seems, as time has gone on, I feel this more and more. ❤️
As a scientist by training, it's taken me my whole adult life to learn to talk about living with love and why it matters. I'm a botanist, not inexpert in humanity, my inner critic has always said. But I've come to believe that writing about what I believe is humanity's greatest gift is perhaps my most important message. Still, it terrifies me to step so far out of my comfort zone, which could explain (at least partly) why it took me the better part of 8 years to write my latest book, a memoir about living with love in a time of dying. The book (Bless the Birds) won the Sarton Award for memoir, which kind of helped silence that inner critic, but not entirely!
Wow, that's so inspiring! Of course, I think of "Braiding Sweetgrass," another book that marries science with love (and stories!). My students read that in my ecological design seminar. I'll get the occasional complaint in course evals that they were expecting more architecture, but we do that, too. I received zero biological or ecological education as an architecture student. How are we to design in balance with (and inspired by) the natural world if we're ignorant of it?
I love Braiding Sweetgrass, and had the huge good fortune once to have a conversation with Robin about bringing a woman's perspective to science on a bench outside a bakery in Point Reyes Station, California, during a conference where we both spoke. I love both Sweetgrass and her earlier book, Gathering Moss, and I think it's a huge gift for you to introduce your students to Robin's perspective in your ecological design seminar. They may not get why the book is crucial to their learning in that moment, but I bet they won't forget it! And I agree, we can't design with the natural world if we don't know how to pay attention and listen to this living earth.
What a wonderful teaching philosophy. Some people are not humble enough to be able to learn. They are not empty vessels and so you cannot fill them with your teachings because there is no place to receive.
Thanks, Claudia. I really struggled with this one. I do see your point and for a while, I left it there. But I didn’t want to stop with only that insight. I just knew there was more to take away from it, if only I had the courage to look.
I went to university to study Landscape Architecture for some semesters. And I know that you gave good advice to that student. Sometimes it is what it is, people are who they are and that's it.
"When I asked him how he decided to give all that up to start over as an architecture student, he said he loves the animals, it’s the owners he can’t stand. I thought (but didn’t say), Honey, wait till you meet clients." This reminds me so much of hearing my mother talk about the job. The buildings, she loved, the clients, not so much. So often, buried in the frenzy of dreaming up a project, lay the efforts to keep demons at bay.
To begin again is hard especially because you want the previous experience- even if it’s unrelated to the subject you are beginning in- to count for something. It all adds up to life, you want to say, even if the math doesn’t actually add up. I’ve begun again and again, and sometimes it feels like an affront- are you saying all that was for nothing and I have to start again from zero?!
Exactly! And of course it *does* count but usually not in the ways you want it to. And somehow especially not at the beginning, when there is so much basic stuff to learn. Thanks for reading, Priya.
This one got me chuckling knowingly: "he loves the animals, it’s the owners he can’t stand. I thought (but didn’t say), Honey, wait till you meet clients."
I've been teaching consistently for about 20 years now, and I always try to carry the same level of humility you have. I make mistakes every single class I teach, make mental corrections for next time, and move along to the next class. Every lesson is an opportunity for me to gather data, to see which approaches are connecting with which students.
We're instructors, but we are also students.
I’m glad you smiled at that. I was a little worried it might come off as cynical. By far the vast majority of my clients have been wonderful. I’m fascinated by the tension between our culture’s striving and the eastern philosophy of emptiness and humility that keeps me sane. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Andrew. Hope you have a good semester.
So interesting to see the teacher's perspective here. I admire your humility in this situation; I'd probably feel hurt, defensive, and indignant after a review like that. It's also really cool to see some of the nuts and bolts of architecture — it's always fascinated me even tho I've never studied it directly. I'm taking notes about how to write a personal essay on difficult moments like this!
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Peter. Believe me, defensive and indignant were two of my first reactions. It stayed with me so I decided to inquire further into it. To turn it around and see what I could learn from it. I was surprised.
This is such a beautiful piece. Indeed, a good teacher is one who recognises that they have a lot of learning to do.
I know what it feels like to be thrown into new field, a field where you need to learn the basics from scratch whereas your mates already have the necessary tool. Sometimes in class everybody seems to know the answer to something you have no idea about; you look like the dumb one. It can be excruciating.
In the end, it takes a lot of patience and hard work to pull through. Oh and a lot of embarrassment too.
Unfortunately not everybody can handle the embarrassment that comes with that.
purplemessenger.substack.com
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts here. What I've observed teaching these particular students over the years is that, in addition to patience and hard work, it takes trust in oneself. Not necessarily confidence -- that will come. But trust in that spark that created the desire in the first place and led to this current moment.
I like the distinction you made between trust and confidence. I do agree with you. Trust quenches all doubts.
I never would’ve thought of it if I hadn’t just read your comment!
This post touched me. Thank you for being a thoughtful and caring teacher, and a vulnerable writer. I believe in the power of living with love in every interaction. We may not succeed, but we learn and grow, and what we offer to the world matters. Blessings!
Many thanks, Susan, for reading and for your kind words. I'm with you on coming from love. It seems, as time has gone on, I feel this more and more. ❤️
As a scientist by training, it's taken me my whole adult life to learn to talk about living with love and why it matters. I'm a botanist, not inexpert in humanity, my inner critic has always said. But I've come to believe that writing about what I believe is humanity's greatest gift is perhaps my most important message. Still, it terrifies me to step so far out of my comfort zone, which could explain (at least partly) why it took me the better part of 8 years to write my latest book, a memoir about living with love in a time of dying. The book (Bless the Birds) won the Sarton Award for memoir, which kind of helped silence that inner critic, but not entirely!
Wow, that's so inspiring! Of course, I think of "Braiding Sweetgrass," another book that marries science with love (and stories!). My students read that in my ecological design seminar. I'll get the occasional complaint in course evals that they were expecting more architecture, but we do that, too. I received zero biological or ecological education as an architecture student. How are we to design in balance with (and inspired by) the natural world if we're ignorant of it?
I love Braiding Sweetgrass, and had the huge good fortune once to have a conversation with Robin about bringing a woman's perspective to science on a bench outside a bakery in Point Reyes Station, California, during a conference where we both spoke. I love both Sweetgrass and her earlier book, Gathering Moss, and I think it's a huge gift for you to introduce your students to Robin's perspective in your ecological design seminar. They may not get why the book is crucial to their learning in that moment, but I bet they won't forget it! And I agree, we can't design with the natural world if we don't know how to pay attention and listen to this living earth.
Lucky you! And I wouldn’t be surprised if Robin left that conversation thinking she was lucky as well. ☺️
I don't know about that, but it was an amazing conversation, that's for sure!
This is such a vulnerable, beautiful piece, Julie.
Aww. Troy! Thank you so much! That means a lot, coming from a writer I so admire.
Happy back-to-school season! There may be something to learn from such a one. And also, the other 20 or 40 having a good class are also right. ;-)
Good point! Thanks, Tara. I appreciate your reading.
What a wonderful teaching philosophy. Some people are not humble enough to be able to learn. They are not empty vessels and so you cannot fill them with your teachings because there is no place to receive.
Thanks, Claudia. I really struggled with this one. I do see your point and for a while, I left it there. But I didn’t want to stop with only that insight. I just knew there was more to take away from it, if only I had the courage to look.
That's why I think that you're a great teacher, you have the humility to look for lessons everywhere. Which the student didn't. 😉
☺️ Awwww. Thanks. That means a lot.
I went to university to study Landscape Architecture for some semesters. And I know that you gave good advice to that student. Sometimes it is what it is, people are who they are and that's it.
So true
"When I asked him how he decided to give all that up to start over as an architecture student, he said he loves the animals, it’s the owners he can’t stand. I thought (but didn’t say), Honey, wait till you meet clients." This reminds me so much of hearing my mother talk about the job. The buildings, she loved, the clients, not so much. So often, buried in the frenzy of dreaming up a project, lay the efforts to keep demons at bay.
Thanks, Eleanor. Patronage arts can be really difficult. But that one wonderful client can make it all worthwhile.
To begin again is hard especially because you want the previous experience- even if it’s unrelated to the subject you are beginning in- to count for something. It all adds up to life, you want to say, even if the math doesn’t actually add up. I’ve begun again and again, and sometimes it feels like an affront- are you saying all that was for nothing and I have to start again from zero?!
Exactly! And of course it *does* count but usually not in the ways you want it to. And somehow especially not at the beginning, when there is so much basic stuff to learn. Thanks for reading, Priya.