All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,

                                  As You Like It
                           by William Shakespeare

 Shakespeare's play was written about 1600, when he was a middle-aged man. He left home at an early age to follow his heart to the London stage. The quote above from the famous lines referred to as "The Seven Ages of Man" in the play concern the life of the ordinary man or woman as each progresses from birth to death. As Shakespeare saw it, life begins with "...the infant/Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms." Then comes "...the whining schoolboy...creeping like snail/Unwillingly to school." The end is "...second childishness and mere oblivion,/Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."

The final stages, or "ages," of life hardly seem so grim to us, even at the end. Most older people have their wits about them and enjoy life as much as they can, despite physical disabilities and illnesses. Life is often no picnic at any age. But there is much to be learned even long past the time of our formal education. That is why we and our friends will write on these pages, using our experiences in life to put things in a meaningfull context and to pass on any bits of wisdom that may be lurking about.

We hope you enjoy reading these pages, and we certainly hope you will want to comment via our guestbook. We don't save or use in any way any e-mail address, unless invited to reply. Enjoy! 


FEATURED ARTICLE


My neighbor, who recently retired from her career in teaching, told me that she recalls wanting to become a teacher when she was just a child. Not me. That thought didn't enter my mind until I was in my early twenties. I found myself teaching a class of aviation cadets the dymanmics of flight; I had picked up that knowledge through my hobby of building model airplanes that could fly. That pleasant experience of sharing my knowledge steered me toward teaching as a careert. It was the turning point of my life.

After earning my M.A. degree in the teaching of English and other graduate degrees, I taught my major at a high school before accepting teaching positions at the University of Kentucky and the East Stroudsburg State Teachers College, now East Stroudsburg University. I retired in1985 from ESU with the position of full professor. Now that I'm a Professor Emeritus, I can reminisce about my teaching career and what I have learned about students.

First of all, I learned that they tend to fall into certain types. For example, there are the "open-eyed dozers," who have mastered the art of napping in class with their eyes open so as to create the impression that they are attentive. There are the "silent spectators" who have taken a sacred vow never to ask a question or participate in class discussion. There are the "low-profilers" who sit in the last row and slump in their seats as a stratagem in order to remain practically invisible. And there are the "lost souls" who, after the first weeks of class, disappear as if they suddenly assumed that they had enrolled in an independ-study course.

I must include the students who cheated on a test and saddled me with a judgmental decision. With this group I had to weigh my academic standard of justice against my penchant for mercy: how might my decision affect the student's job opportunities? However, I must admit that my judgment in this situation was both objective and subjective, because I tried to combine my academic standards and my sympathetic nature. I have never forgotten that Einstein failed mathematics and that I sometimes fell short in my major subject. I subscribe to the adage that nobody is perfect and that even a mediocre student may eventually develop into a scholar.

When I studied the art and skills of teaching, I was surprised to learn that they included the use of humor. At first I couldn't appreciate the psychological impact of humor in the classroom; it seemed a distraction from the learning process. Yet I discovered that it actually worked, and I wondered why it was helpful. After giving this question much thought, it occurred to me that students may enroll in a course only because it is required in their field of major study; so their motivation is uncertain. What can give lectures a relaxing moment for students is the teacher's interspersing his presentation with an amusing pun, quip, or irony that clarifies or reinforces important material in the lesson plan.

I have grown to love teaching and to see it as my dedication to the wise words of the medieval philosopher Mamonides who maintained that "The advancement of learning is one of the highest commandments." Let us remember that Moses and later scribes have preserved both religious teaching and secular history, thereby assuming the important role of educators. Today universal education from kindrgarten to graduate school is the norm in developed countries. The respect and distinction accorded to an academic degree attests to its high social value, while for the professional class it is a practical necessity.

Once the habit of standing in front of a classroom takes hold, it's like being inoculated against ignorance--your own and that of others--for life. It's very true that the more you learn, the more you realize you have to learn. One hopes that the opportunity to pass on what has been learned to anyone, anywhere, anytime, never ends.

                                                           By Norman Gelber