In Bill Smoot's latest book,
Conversations with Great Teachers, 51 master teachers discuss their views on teaching and what makes their work meaningful to them. Smoot spent a year and a half conducting interviews for his book, so for a change of pace, I asked him to be the one interviewed for our blog. He graciously agreed, and answered my questions about his book, his views on teaching, and the challenges facing educators today.
Your book features interviews with teachers in a wide range of disciplines. What was your process for selecting the interviewees for your book?I tried to locate great teachers in a variety of ways—word of mouth, media articles, winners of teaching awards. I tried to have at least two sources for believing a teacher was truly “great.”
How did you gain access to interview distinguished actor Martin Landau for your book?
There are several famous people in the book—major league manager Ron Washington, Obama mentor Emil Jones, former Secretary of State George Shultz, and of course Martin Landau. I had thought those would be tough interviews to get, but I found that as teachers, those people believed in the project and were very willing to help. Their generosity was really moving. In the case of Martin Landau specifically, one of my former students who studies at the Actor’s Studio put in a good word, so when Mr. Landau received my letter, he knew who I was.
What qualities do all great teachers have in common?They have a passion to teach, but also a passion for their own subject area. They love what they teach. And because they love it, they want to teach it. That’s true whether it’s mathematics, literature, making horseshoes, or shooting a basketball.
Which of your teachers have inspired you the most and why?Philosophy Professor William Gass, whom I got to interview for my book. He inspired me by opening up to me the world of philosophy and conveying the idea that philosophy could be a means to liberation.
Why did you decide to become a teacher?I think it was less a decision than a discovery—a discovery that deep inside, a teacher is what I truly am. One of my interviewees, a first-grade teacher, says simply “teaching chose me.” I know how she feels. It’s a calling.
In an article for the Huffington Post, Waiting for Superman director Davis Guggenheim asserts that we can’t have great schools without great teachers. What are some of your ideas about how schools can attract and retain great teachers?“Great teachers” is a tall order. We need to remember that “good” teachers are very valuable. As for attraction and retention, teachers need to be paid enough so that they are not forced out.
And teachers need to be given the freedom to teach in their own way. My interviews clearly establish that there are many ways of being a great teacher, not just one way. In that way, teaching is more an art than a science. In many areas of education, the power of administrations has grown in recent decades, so that teachers are told what to teach by so-called “curriculum specialists,” how to teach by administrators, and what technology to use by newly-created technology departments. So the teacher is no longer the craftsman making the whole shoe, but instead is treated like an assembly-line worker. Some teachers have fled public schools for charter schools or private schools for this reason, but even charter and private schools are not immune. So teachers need freedom.
What should a school do if a teacher is not that great? Can the teacher be re-trained or should he/she be encouraged to find another career?Well, that is the big question these days, and
Michelle Rhee is as controversial as
Robespierre. Certainly people can improve, and many of the people I interviewed remember failures when they were starting out. There may be a teaching gene, but like any talent, teaching needs committed cultivation. So the hiring must be done by those who have an eye for real potential. And retention decisions must judge the total effect of a teacher on students, not just their test scores. But if salaries and working conditions are such that there is a teacher shortage, this is a useless question. What sense does it make to get rid of the dead wood if there are no better replacements available?
What are some of the greatest obstacles and challenges facing teachers in our schools?
It depends on the school. In some schools, students are too motivated—or motivated by the wrong things—while in other schools students lack motivation. In some schools students have solid skills, while in other schools the skills are so lacking that teaching is very difficult. The range of schools in America is so great that I think it’s a mistake to look for one-size-fits-all policies and programs.
One of my favorite teachers once told me that the best teachers were the ones who weren’t ‘A’ students themselves. He said if the teachers struggled with the material when they first learned it, then they were better able to explain it to their students. Would you agree or disagree with this statement and why? Were you a good student?The most important lesson I learned in doing this book was that almost no generalizations apply. Certainly, there were teachers who did struggle when they were students. And Harvard physics professor Eric Mazur observes that sometimes his students give more useful explanations to their classmates than he can, precisely because they know what the difficulties in understanding are. But in all honestly, some of the teachers I interviewed were naturally talented in their discipline and it came easily to them.
Yes, I was a pretty good student. I was (and am) curious about a lot of things. I valued good teachers. And I resented the bad ones.
What techniques do you and some of the teachers you interviewed use to help struggling students who don’t get what you’re trying to teach them?
Breaking tasks down into logical steps. And patience. You can’t be in a hurry. Arthur Lane, who taught fencing until he was ninety, says, “Time is the enemy of learning.”
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