I Am One of THEM

I have a few themes that I just keep coming back to in the farm blog.  That must mean that I either care about these topics OR perhaps it means that I have a very limited repertoire?  Whichever it is, I am still going to write about this today and there's nothing anyone can do about it!  HA! That'll show you.   And you too!

A Black Swallowtail floats around our farm near the farmhouse most days during the warmest months.  It flies a similar route most days and Tammy and I both take no small amount of delight in seeing it do what it does.  In fact, most people who see these flying gems tend to react favorably to them.  

They're beautiful.  They aren't threatening.  They move around and give you something to watch.  

The photo above is taken from the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden site and this article that talks about the larvae of the Black Swallowtail.  The photo was taken by Tom Hennessey.  I have a photo somewhere, but it is not nearly this good!

Black Swallowtail caterpillars like carrots and parsley - among other things.  As a vegetable grower who has raised both of these crops, what am I supposed to think about these butterflies now?  After all, that flutter-by may well have been responsible for quality reduction in some of my crops!  Does that mean I should feel differently about them?

No.  Not really.  What it means is that I should learn more and put the whole thing into perspective.  Typically, the Black Swallowtail population does not boom and bust to the point that an entire crop will be destroyed.  At least at our farm, with our approach to farming, Black Swallowtail larvae have never caused us to have any real losses from their presence.  But, we know that they have munched on some of the plants we care for.

We, as human beings, have this terrible tendency to place complex beings into simple categories... such as "good" and "bad."  And, it is never that simple.

College Prof - Good or Bad?

Let me make this a bit more personal so I can be even clearer about the point I am attempting to make.

I have a PhD in Computer Science and Adult Education.  I worked hard to acquire that degree and I learned a great deal about those topics (and about life in general) in the process.  My goal was to facilitate the learning of others to the best of my ability and I did have the opportunity to do that for a while at the University of Minnesota - Morris.

Do you see the red cap in the back?  Yep, that's me with a group of students and faculty at an end of year celebration at a local park.  

There are a lot of good people in that picture and there were a lot of good people who were involved in the Computer Science Discipline that are not in that picture.  Every one of us was unique in our own way, but our connection via our studies was the commonality that brought us together.

Over the past few years, I have become increasingly aware of and alarmed by the number of people who make the claim that people in academia are indoctrinating and brain-washing young people when they go to college.  I have even had a couple of people try to advance that idea with me - probably because I don't "act and look" like one of the "enemy."

But.... I am one of THEM.

More Diverse and Complex Than the Stereotype

Academics are more than the bumbling caricatures you see portrayed in movies and far less ominous than some members of our general population make them out to be.  Some of them are excellent teachers and some are excellent researchers.  All of them are good at some things and... less good at others.  Some are very accepting of a wide range of opinions and others are not.  A few will mercilessly push an agenda they have while others work hard to avoid any undue and inappropriate influence over those in their classes.

Sound familiar?  Doesn't it sound like every group of people you have encountered in the world?

In every group, there are a few who are truly bad actors.  There are also a few who are far better than anyone has a right to be.  The rest of us fall somewhere in between.  A little bit of good, a little bit of not so good.. and a whole lot of human.  

In most cases, these are humans who are doing their best to help facilitate the learning and growth of those who come to their schools by guiding newcomers into the terminology, processes and theories that come with their subject areas.   It's a difficult job - and if you think these gifted, but wholly human, members of academia are trying to influence your children, you would be correct.  But, it is not really what you fear.

The job of post-secondary educators is to help students to build on the foundation that students have put together with the help of their parents, families, schools, mentors, friends and other influences.  A college professor (even those who think they can do this) is unlikely to be able to destroy a strong foundation, but by teaching they might encourage a student to knock over a poorly built shed of misunderstandings or misconceptions.

The Learner's Journey 

In the end, the learning is on the shoulders of the learner.  A teacher hopes to facilitate learning by exposing a student to new experiences, ideas and concepts.  The learner decides how they will incorporate it into their own structure of life.  The student builds up, tears down, and rebuilds as they see fit.

And when a young person comes back from college during break or for the summer, be amazed, rather than horrified by how they are learning - because it is THEIR process.  A journey which you, the parents, families, communities have built the foundation for.  If you helped build a good foundation, then they will have a successful journey - but it is silly for you to expect their journey to follow the script you held in your mind for them.  After all, it is theirs to take - not yours.

And what if they should come home and make it clear that they have knocked down a tower that is cherished by you and yours?  What should that tell you?  Was it the evil, conniving, college professors, intent on destroying your offspring with unclean thoughts and immoral ideas?  Or is it possible that your loved one just sees a different structure that has potential on the foundations you helped them build in their life?

And then, you should also remember that we are all building, tearing down, and rebuilding for our entire lives.  Today's structures are not our final structures.  Some will fall under their own weight.  Others will be better than earlier versions of the same thing.  It's all part of the learner's journey.

Back to the Evil Professor

So... to those who fear the academic, let this be a re-assurance.  We are real people.  We are more complex than a faceless nemesis or an self-important know-it-all or an absent-minded professor.  We have placed ourselves in the position of offering the expertise we have worked hard to acquire at the doorstep of those who have interest in our areas of study.

Some of us are pretty arrogant and some of us do a pretty poor job of relating to those who have trouble learning our subjects.  Some of us are acutely aware of the fact that despite all of the knowledge we have accumulated over the years there is so much more that we do not know.

Here are some snapshots of what I, a flawed human being, was as a professor - and I make no claims to be any better or horribly worse than any other:

• I would gripe to anyone who would listen when my students didn't read instructions or ignored the syllabus and resources I worked hard to put together for them.  
• I walked a student who was ill to see a medical professional and I listened while another mourned the death of a parent.
• I closed the door, locked it and turned off the light in my office because I could not handle another person asking me for more of my time at that moment.
• I extended my office hours so I could talk to each and every person who was standing in line - even though that line probably had twenty or more people in it. 
• I expected people to put real effort into learning and I was known to be a "tough grader."
• I made judgement calls that helped various students to do what they needed to do and I made other judgement calls that did nothing to help.

That's an example of an evil professor, nemesis of all you hold dear and destroyer of the American "Way."  You may see some of yourself in me, just as I see some of myself in you.  Does that make it easier or harder for us to be adversaries?  Let me know.