Rey, Ray D.

2003-05389
CL 121 Final Paper
Prof. Carlos Aureus

The Poetics of Teaching

After familiarizing my freshmen students to the course objectives and

outline of topics one morning, I gave them the liberty to spend the rest of the
day however they liked since it was just the first day of class. It was the deep
breath before the plunge into the sea of a trimester’s worth of learning. To
my surprise, half a minute went by with no one willing to take the first step
out of the class. One student had the courage to ask the question of the hour
– “Sir, what textbook are we going to use?”

I was not prepared to answer.

Liberal education in U.P. had so much impact in the way I live my life
and the career that I chose. This U.P. education is overwhelming in any
discipline because a scholar exposes himself to a myriad of approaches in
pursuing the truth. Assenting to a theory only becomes an option once every
option has been considered. One theory alone is insufficient to answer all of
life’s questions and, assuming that a good theory invites more questions,
hence, the need for more answers and more questions to follow. This venture
is where we could take pride in our mentors. Our professors are Platonic
heroes; they are guides who aim at improving the standards of the world
through reason and logic. They lead the forefront of the battle against the
restrictive bind of ignorance and conformity. These men and women
consistently inspire thousands of students as Socrates was to Plato, Plato to
Aristotle, Aristotle to Longinus, and the list goes on. Scholars during the early
years were exposed to one or two mentors at a time and had the unfortunate
circumstance of limited exposure to different points of view. However, this
limit has also proven to be an advantage because either they became
masters of a similar school of thought or they knew it so much that they
were able to refute / improve the theories as their own. Currently, countless
sources of information are available to the devoted scholar, but it does not
rob him of the benefit of innovation. Imitation is inevitable but in the
academic sense, it is reasonable if to further one’s own poetics. The great
thinkers constructed theories as innovations to existing schools of thought
during their time. It is in this practice that academics flourish and has
continued through generations, with origination being a key player.

As an educator, I identify my purpose in teaching in creating avenues

for scholarly stimulation. A poetics of teaching that privileges not only
mastery but also innovation – not only the transmission of existing
knowledge, but also productivity and change. I believe that all students have
individual strengths; therefore, our goal as educators is to explore all
possible ways and means in motivating them to use these strengths. This is
possible through a combination of both teacher-centered and student-
centered approaches.

Progressivism scorn teacher-centered philosophies because lectures

and learning from the “great books” (Canon) do not appeal to real-world
experiences and the knowledge gained from such appear superficial (quiz-
bee knowledge). While teacher-centered approaches had been recently
improved, one must not discount the fact that students, especially during
their younger years, look up to the teacher as a form of authority. Students
believe the authority and consequently understand first the information until
such time that they can see for themselves how it applies to their own
experiences. If we remember St. Thomas Aquinas, this is the best kind of
faith one may render to achieve understanding.

But of course, seeing that the “sage-on-the-stage” will not always work
with topics that require student input, an educator can play the role of the
“guide-on-the-side.” In my own education, I have been able to memorize and
repeat the information during recitation and examinations to get good
grades, however I have not always related to the information i.e. seen its
relevance in my life / discipline. This is where a teacher could innovate,
provide activities for input, and tap students’ experience for a relevant
output. Motivation plays a major role in inciting interest among the students.
I believe that the way to achieve this is by giving students a more active role
in the learning process by assisting them in finding connections in the
lessons with their own life and interests. By allowing students to bring their
own stories, experiences, and ideas into the classroom, this provides the
students with opportunities to work together, and respect each other’s
differences. In my experience, when the learning environment is something
that the student can relate to, it becomes less threatening because the
teacher’s authority does not become a hindrance. They become more
receptive to the objectives we intend to communicate to them. When the
students are able to learn from each other, then we can say that the teacher
was successful not because he/she was the philosopher king that led the
cave dwellers out of their comfort in the shadow, but the reason why the
learners are able to think inwardly and relate one’s self with the other
individuals. After all, Plotinus we are all connected to the One.

This connection to the one does not just refer to the students’
connection with each other in the classroom. It could be extended beyond
the zones of classroom learning and pertain to the learner’s social
connections. I believe that all students have the potential to grow as
individuals in the process of discovering their potential by contributing to the
welfare of the society. This outward action should not be confused with
Plotinus’ act of sin but rather with Plato’s idea of justice. When an individual
is able to perform one’s duties for the society’s betterment, our role, as
educators have been just and justified.

I see my personal teaching poetics as eclectic. I deem it the best one I

could practice because students are individuals and have unique
backgrounds, needs, and expectations. While it is not the intention to
perform a sweeping satisfaction of the majority of their expectations, it is
more apt to aim for a lasting discipline of inquest – I don’t seek to answer
most of their questions but to make them ask more than what can be
answered.

I was unprepared to answer the question not because I had not

prepared for it. On the contrary, I was overly prepared. I told the student that
they would be exposed to a number of selections and references other than
the prescribed textbook. That’s ninety seven pesos and fifty cents all-in-all.