Ellie- This is a very thoughtful observation. I particularly liked: "What was a surprise was that it was not this that stood out to me, but rather the daily life of a professor in Cambridge." As a Potter fan myself, it's easy to pass over the realities of the professorship and academic life. But you're right in that it's easy to get lost in the magic (for obvious and perhaps even deserved reasons?).
First - I’m sorry I did not challenge you more! When a professor gets a student like you, we are generally so grateful that we don’t tend to challenge you. I wish you’d said something to me, too! I would have happily kicked your hind end into higher gear, but we don’t know what we don’t know. My daughter and I just watched Surprised by Oxford (also a well-written book) and I loved the rigor. My daughter is like you - an academic that loves learning. Here’s the problem with a place like your alma mater - the majority of students just don’t care, and the exhaustion level for the profs is real. I wish all students were more like you, but sadly that is not the clientele we are cultivating, to my chagrin. I’d like to share this essay with my colleagues - at least those of us in the humanities - in hopes of spurring us into remembering the rigor we also love! Email me at my school address when you have a chance - I’d like to have a deeper conversation about this! Ann
I will reach out to you via email! And feel free to share, but know that I knew, even as a PSEO student, that it was not the professors who lacked the interest or ability to provide rigorous education, but rather the institution that did not construct itself in such a way that allowed them to be that way. Perhaps that was the most maddening bit—knowing I studied under people who were not given the opportunity to teach the way they should have (and wanted to)!
If you haven’t read it, you might be interested in “The Intellectual Life” by A.G. Sertillanges. He discusses that disposition toward a relentless pursuit of truth in all areas of life.
Ellie- This is a very thoughtful observation. I particularly liked: "What was a surprise was that it was not this that stood out to me, but rather the daily life of a professor in Cambridge." As a Potter fan myself, it's easy to pass over the realities of the professorship and academic life. But you're right in that it's easy to get lost in the magic (for obvious and perhaps even deserved reasons?).
Ellie,
First - I’m sorry I did not challenge you more! When a professor gets a student like you, we are generally so grateful that we don’t tend to challenge you. I wish you’d said something to me, too! I would have happily kicked your hind end into higher gear, but we don’t know what we don’t know. My daughter and I just watched Surprised by Oxford (also a well-written book) and I loved the rigor. My daughter is like you - an academic that loves learning. Here’s the problem with a place like your alma mater - the majority of students just don’t care, and the exhaustion level for the profs is real. I wish all students were more like you, but sadly that is not the clientele we are cultivating, to my chagrin. I’d like to share this essay with my colleagues - at least those of us in the humanities - in hopes of spurring us into remembering the rigor we also love! Email me at my school address when you have a chance - I’d like to have a deeper conversation about this! Ann
I will reach out to you via email! And feel free to share, but know that I knew, even as a PSEO student, that it was not the professors who lacked the interest or ability to provide rigorous education, but rather the institution that did not construct itself in such a way that allowed them to be that way. Perhaps that was the most maddening bit—knowing I studied under people who were not given the opportunity to teach the way they should have (and wanted to)!
If you haven’t read it, you might be interested in “The Intellectual Life” by A.G. Sertillanges. He discusses that disposition toward a relentless pursuit of truth in all areas of life.
Thank you! I will have to order this and read it—I’ve not heard of it before!