Truth in Strange Places
Posted by toddhelmkamp on December 6, 2006
“And finally, one must consider how great the ease of learning
there is in books, how yielding, how trusty !
How safely we reveal, without shyness, in the face of our books
the poverty of our human ignorance !
They are teachers who instruct us without switches or rods,
without slaps or anger, without notice of rags or riches.
If you approach them , they are not asleep;
If you ask a question, they do not hide;
They do not mutter at you if you make a mistake;
When you are ignorant, they do not know how to laugh at you.”
Richard de Bury, Philobiblon, I, 9
December 7, 2006 at 12:18 pm
As a teacher, I appreciate this post. It is my goal to always be that type of teacher. If I shut down and am unwilling to learn, what right do I have to expect my students to learn?