My message to Prof. Tschinkel, who argued that the only way to really teach is to make students discuss and write (see
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i32/32b01301.htm -- subscription required) -- welcome to College Writing courses! He's hit the nail on the head that the real problem with education is piling 300 kids in a room and then giving a multiple-choice test every few weeks. He's had a Eureka! moment that those of us in the Humanities have known for decades: Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
Yeah, it's hard work and the pay stinks, but the rewards are limitless.
