An essay I wrote for the Spring 2010 issue of Bard College's magazine "Field Notes."

1. She'sgetting ready to ask me a question.I know it, because
she'sstaringinto that leathernotebookof hers.For weeks,
my first student teacherhas filled pagesin that notebook.
I've never looked in it, but I'm sure she'swriting notes
about me. What shesees do. What she sees class
me the
do. And she'sgot this knack of askingme the perfectques-
tion everytime.
sighs,and movesher
Shelooks at the notebook,pauses,
pen in a semicircle.I know what she'sdoing. Shet looking
for the perfect question-the one that pulls everything
together.This is what she'sgood at. Every day shewatches,
writes, and then pulls together a question I carit answer.
Qu n
estio s " H mm..." S hepauses.
I wait, knowing what's coming.
By Edward Leach "Can you tell me how you decide to use group work?
rather than
When you decideto do a group assignment,
In hisfirst year asa mentorteacher, individual seatwork?"
the author learnsthat he doesn't
always She's got me again.
It's not that I can'tanswerher questions. can.But it
I
needto havethe perfectanswer.
takesme as much time to answerher questions
sometimes
as it doesfor her to generatethem. And she'salwaysapolo-
getic as she asksthem, as shewatchesme struggleto find
the answer.
?
"Don't apologize,"I say."Itt a good question.It
deserves good answer.
a Besides, I can'tanswerthis ques-
if
tion, then I reallyshouldnt be doing this job."
This job, of course, being a mentor teacher.After 12
is
o? answers studentteachers.
for
I'm now supposed have
yearsofteaching students, to
Why elsewould Bard College
o havebrought me into this program?
So I struggle.I think. And eventually come up with
I
an answer.
"Horv do I decidewhen to do group work? Well, there
area feu'things that comeinto play here.The class,
for
just
Someclasses arent asgood at being in groups
example.
as others.They'Il get better in time, the more they do group
work. But not on a Friday. With a vacation coming up, this
is not the day to throw the eighth-period classinto a group.
But the si,rth period almost needsto be in a group, because
they'll take the points you're trying to make and run with
them to placesyou cant anticipate.And do we havediffer-
ent ability levelsin the class? course do, so a coopera-
Of we
tive group might be a good fit. Have you read . . . oh, I can't
think of their name,but they wrote greztbook on cooper-
^
ati,r groups.I ve got my copy at home. I'11bring it in if you
want, though I bet there'ssomething better out there now."
26 MA T P ROC RA M

2. She nods.Does shebuy it? In my bestseminar-leader and the needto roll with the punchesthat the highs and
style,I haveattemptedto covermy babblingresponse with lows that beginninga teachingcareerbring.
a softballquestionto her. She responds. listen,nod, and
I would continue after
And sometimesthe conversation
shortly wete into a good conversation
about cooperative sheleft. Behind the wheel of my car,driving out of
groupsand 10 other topicsofinterest. Forty-five minutes Kingston, through the traffic circle,up Route 28, into the
later,we needto wrap it up. She'sgot a seminar,and I need mountains,I'd continue thinking about the problemswe had
to go pick up my daughter. discussed.
Sometimes talk them out aloud.Sometimes
Id
I've neverbeengood at straightanswers.
But I love thoseconversations to a coherentanswer.Sometimes
led
good questions. they simplyled to more questions. I I
Sometimes, suspect,
It took me three or four yearsofteaching beforeI didnt evencome closeto an)'thing approximatingan answer.
really began to develop a respectfor good questions.Lynne But maybethatt OK. In 2007 a group of teachereduca-
Laffie, then my departmentheadat Newburyport High tors from the National Council ofTeachersof English iden-
School,suggested readMortimer Adler, who had come to
I tified four critical stances
necessary beginning teachers:
in
the Massachusetts
schoolseveral
yearsearlierto teacha -open to collaboration with other teachers;
workshopon SocraticSeminars.In his book ThePaideia -able to facechallenges and find necessary support;
Adler wrote that seminars
Program, could "be described
in -deal with the binary tensions inherent in teaching;
Adler's approach
a singleword: they are conversations." -develop their own identity as teachers.
hookedme. I beganto preparefor classes writing out
by All of theseessentiallyreduceto questions.How do we
The questions
questions. were designed evokefurther
to best collaboratewith other teachers?
How do we deal with
Sometimes would evencreateflow chartsof
questions. I the challenges teaching?How do we balanceour personal
of
one set of questions askif the class
questions: to went one and professional
lives?
What doesit mean to be a teacher?
way,one set to askif they went another.
Then I began Thesearequestions
that engage throughoutour careers.
us
reducingmy questions only two or three.EventuallyI
to Here'sone binary tension of teaching:onceyou answer
got to the point where I could preparefor my seminars one of thesequestions,
you probably need to revisit it. Like
with a few noteson the back of an index card.The better the proverbialriver or the curriculum map wete now revis-
the questions, fewer of them I needed. about this
the At ing, the answers thesequestionsare fluid, different for
to
departmentbeganwriting essential
time our seven-person everyone,
changingwith time. So I learnedin my first year
for Predictably, loved it. I loved the
questions our courses. I asa mentor teacherthat I dont alwaysneed to havethe per-
that flowed from a good question.
conversations fect answer.
What's neededis to welcomeour new colleagues
As I learnedthe valueof good questions, learnedthe
I into the professional
conversationthat is taking placeamong
fascinatingparadoxof teaching.Good teachingdoesnot lie all thosewho caredeeplyabout teachingand learning.
in having all the answers. in askingthe right questions.
It's So maybeit's a good thing that my rambling
Granted,there'sa placefor having someanswers,
and responses to someinterestingconversations.
led Hopefully,
there'sa placefor askingquestions
that are designed get
to we'I1find a few answersalong the way. And when those
the right answers. answers longer suffice,
no we'll go back and taik some
But in the fall of 2008,when I becamea new teacher more.That's how we learn.
truth for a few, thankfully
ofteachers,I forgot this essential
brief, moments.And I struggledwith the questions
my
apprenticeposed,partly because knew they were good
I
onesthat I shouldbe ableto answer.
questions, WorksCited
How do I set up my groups?I'm sureI havea better Adler, Mortimer J. ThePaideiaProgram. New York:
reasonthan the day of the week.And thus our conversation Macmillian,1984.
began. "What Should English Education Consistof During the
Sometimes took placein the back of my classroom,
it First Yearsof Teachers'
Careers?"
National Council of
long after the studentshad left. Wed sit, and talk about the Teachers English, Conference English Education.
of on
lessons, students.
the Wed talk about the life of a teacher, S eptember
18.2008.
F IEL DN O TE S 27