Janet Tingey: Interactive Media and Print Design

Why Teach?

The Short Answer: Because I love my students.

The Long Answer: A couple of years ago, several of my students walked into my evening class looking pretty grumpy. They told me that another instructor had said, "I don't prep to teach my class. I don't get paid for time spent prepping classes, so I don't prep." The students were understandibly upset because the teacher wasn't well prepared, so they hadn't learned much in that class. They asked me if what the other instructor said was true. I replied that yes, adjunct instructors get paid only for time spent in the classroom, teaching. We don't get paid for time spent prepping classes. The students looked dumbfounded, and asked me why, then, would anyone bother to teach? I blurted out, "Well, I teach because I love you guys."

I have remembered this incident ever since, and mentally try to construct better answers for my students than the one I said without thinking. There are lots of good reasons why I teach. I'm not an altruist by any stretch of the imagination, so I teach because of what I get out of it (which doesn't happen to include becoming independently wealthy.) Here are a bunch of reasons why I teach:

I teach because I learn from my students.

I teach as a way of staying current in my field.

I teach because my students humble and inspire me with their brilliance.

I teach because it helps me remember that the human mind is always eager to learn.

I teach because it's fun to blather on in front of a group of students who listen and laugh at my jokes.

I teach for the wonderful "aha!" moment, when I'm talking to a student and suddenly I see the light dawn in their eyes because all of a sudden, they get it.

But as many reasons as I construct in my mind when I'm driving to work or pulling up weeds in the yard, I always come back to what I blurted out to my students that night. My first experiences teaching were in New York City, at Pratt Institute and at New York University. When I moved to Portland, Oregon, and started teaching at the Art Institute of Portland, I had a typical New Yorker's snobbishness. I expected the students at AIPD to be mediocre at best. I was blown away by how wrong I was. I learned that students, everywhere, are capable of doing great things. At the risk of sounding overly gushy, more than anywhere else, my experience teaching in Portland has restored my faith in human nature. With every cohort that comes through, I think to myself, "These are the best students ever. The next group just won't be anywhere near as good." And then I'm blown away again when the next cohort comes along and I think they're the best students ever. And I get to teach them.

The first reason is the last reason. I teach because I love my students.



Tech Tracker PublicAffairs Books Creative Science School House of Antique Hardware Words are Magical My Former Site What Clients Say The Woman at the Washington Zoo Will the Boat Sink the Water? An Infinity of Little Hours Voices from the Street Things to Know Before I Say Go What Clients Say Why Teach? Classes Taught My Student's Web Sites	Why Teach? The Short Answer: Because I love my students. The Long Answer: A couple of years ago, several of my students walked into my evening class looking pretty grumpy. They told me that another instructor had said, "I don't prep to teach my class. I don't get paid for time spent prepping classes, so I don't prep." The students were understandibly upset because the teacher wasn't well prepared, so they hadn't learned much in that class. They asked me if what the other instructor said was true. I replied that yes, adjunct instructors get paid only for time spent in the classroom, teaching. We don't get paid for time spent prepping classes. The students looked dumbfounded, and asked me why, then, would anyone bother to teach? I blurted out, "Well, I teach because I love you guys." I have remembered this incident ever since, and mentally try to construct better answers for my students than the one I said without thinking. There are lots of good reasons why I teach. I'm not an altruist by any stretch of the imagination, so I teach because of what I get out of it (which doesn't happen to include becoming independently wealthy.) Here are a bunch of reasons why I teach: I teach because I learn from my students. I teach as a way of staying current in my field. I teach because my students humble and inspire me with their brilliance. I teach because it helps me remember that the human mind is always eager to learn. I teach because it's fun to blather on in front of a group of students who listen and laugh at my jokes. I teach for the wonderful "aha!" moment, when I'm talking to a student and suddenly I see the light dawn in their eyes because all of a sudden, they get it. But as many reasons as I construct in my mind when I'm driving to work or pulling up weeds in the yard, I always come back to what I blurted out to my students that night. My first experiences teaching were in New York City, at Pratt Institute and at New York University. When I moved to Portland, Oregon, and started teaching at the Art Institute of Portland, I had a typical New Yorker's snobbishness. I expected the students at AIPD to be mediocre at best. I was blown away by how wrong I was. I learned that students, everywhere, are capable of doing great things. At the risk of sounding overly gushy, more than anywhere else, my experience teaching in Portland has restored my faith in human nature. With every cohort that comes through, I think to myself, "These are the best students ever. The next group just won't be anywhere near as good." And then I'm blown away again when the next cohort comes along and I think they're the best students ever. And I get to teach them. The first reason is the last reason. I teach because I love my students.
© Janet Tingey \| 503-203-7961