Teaching is Crucial

March 8, 2006

Teaching is Crucial

Dear Colleagues,

Land grant universities have at least a tri-fold mission, but all universities have teaching at their core. I have always regarded teaching as a calling to a noble purpose. Teaching is not a dirty word, even in a student-centered, learning-focused climate. Great teaching only adds to students and learning. Great teachers not only teach, but kindle a lifelong passion for learning and the pursuit of knowledge. Great teachers are also effective in teaching two kinds of knowledge--that which we know and that which we don't know—yet.

The first kind of knowledge requires a teaching of the vocabulary, facts, skills and relationships associated with a discipline or subject domain. Important, essential teaching, it is sometimes difficult to excite, inspire and lead students to a rich understanding of such subject matter over and over and over again. I respect those who are accomplished at this task. The second kind of knowledge is probably the more crucial, however. Most of what we know today will mean less tomorrow. So, we must teach not only what we know, but also how to learn, discover, inquire, create and come to know tomorrow what we do not know today. This is why we must not separate scholarship, inquiry and discovery from teaching. The integration of teaching and research is our strong suit in a land grant university. We must never lose sight of that mission.

Indeed, we must teach each student to ask and creatively answer hard questions and to critically reflect on what we know, what we think we know, and what we don't know. It is imperative that we teach each student to respect, crave and pursue wisdom and bring their full self to the process.

A friend of mine once shared with me that knowledge can be bought and sold but wisdom can only be shared. If so, wisdom is a gift and teaching at its best, is a giving of that gift to others. Therein lies its magic and its nobility. I am humbled by the master teacher and I am happy that our college is blessed with many of them on our faculty. So here's to our excellent teachers.

Thank you and salud!

Cheryl Achterberg