“Great teachers had great personalities and that the greatest teachers had outrageous personalities. I did not like decorum or rectitude in a classroom; I preferred a highly oxygenated atmosphere, a climate of intemperance, rhetoric, and feverish melodrama. And I wanted my teachers to make me smart. A great teacher is my adversary, my conqueror, commissioned to chastise me. He leaves me tame and grateful for the new language he has purloined from other kings whose granaries are filled and whose libraries are famous. He tells me that teaching is the art of theft: of knowing what to steal and from whom. Bad teachers do not touch me; the great ones never leave me. They ride with me during all my days, and I pass on to others what they have imparted to me. I exchange their handy gifts with strangers on trains, and I pretend the gifts are mine. I steal from the great teachers. And the truly wonderful thing about them is they would applaud my theft, laugh at the thought of it, realizing they had taught me their larcenous skills well.”
Explore This Quote Further
Quote Analysis:
In this quote by Pat Conroy, the author expresses his belief in the importance of great teachers with outrageous personalities who challenge and push their students to excel. He values a teaching environment that is energetic, dynamic, and intellectually stimulating, rather than one characterized by strict decorum. Conroy sees great teachers as adversaries who push their students to their limits and ultimately leave them grateful for the knowledge they have acquired. He compares the art of teaching to theft, emphasizing the importance of learning from great teachers and passing on that knowledge to others. Conroy's admiration for great teachers extends to their willingness to encourage their students to "steal" knowledge and skills, knowing that it is a sign of their own success as educators. This quote highlights the transformative power of great teachers and the lasting impact they have on their students.
Modern Relevance:
In today's fast-paced and constantly evolving world, the traditional idea of a great teacher with a strict demeanor and decorum may not always resonate with students. Pat Conroy's perspective on great teachers having outrageous personalities and creating an atmosphere of excitement and intensity speaks to the need for dynamic and engaging educators in the modern classroom. The emphasis on teachers who challenge and push students to think critically and learn from a variety of sources highlights the importance of innovative and adaptable teaching methods in preparing students for the challenges of the 21st century. Students who are inspired by passionate and daring teachers are more likely to be motivated and engaged in their own learning journey, leading to a greater impact and lasting influence on their lives.
Example of Usage
In his book, "My Reading Life," Pat Conroy reflects on the impact of great teachers and the importance of their personalities in shaping the minds of their students. He emphasizes the idea that truly exceptional teachers embody a sense of rebelliousness, passion, and an unorthodox approach to education. The quote illustrates Conroy's belief that the best teachers are those who challenge, inspire, and ultimately transform their students through their unique and sometimes unconventional methods.
Reflection Questions:
Reflecting on this quote by Pat Conroy, consider the following questions:
- What qualities do you believe make a great teacher?
- How do you view the idea of a teacher being your "adversary" and "conqueror" in the pursuit of learning?
- In what ways have great teachers impacted your life and shaped your education?
- Do you agree with the notion that teaching is the art of theft? Why or why not?
- How do you think great teachers inspire and influence others, even beyond their direct students?
- How can you apply the concept of "stealing" from great teachers in your own learning and personal growth?
Similar quotes
“The world of literature has everything in it, and it refuses to leave anything out. I have read like a man on fire my whole life because the genius of English teachers touched me with the dazzling beauty of language. Because of them I rode with Don Quixote and danced with Anna Karenina at a ball in St. Petersburg and lassoed a steer in "Lonesome Dove" and had nightmares about slavery in "Beloved" and walked the streets of Dublin in "Ulysses" and made up a hundred stories in the Arabian nights and saw my mother killed by a baseball in "A Prayer for Owen Meany." I've been in ten thousand cities and have introduced myself to a hundred thousand strangers in my exuberant reading career, all because I listened to my fabulous English teachers and soaked up every single thing those magnificent men and women had to give. I cherish and praise them and thank them for finding me when I was a boy and presenting me with the precious gift of the English language. ”
“The great teachers fill you up with hope and shower you with a thousand reasons to embrace all aspects of life. I wanted to follow Mr. Monte around for the rest of my life, learning everything he wished to share of impart, but I didn't know how to ask.”
“I had come to know the singular power of a river advancing toward the open sea and the power of tides regulating that advance. . . . Because I had seen this for the first time over the year, I could not be intimidated by guys who wore expensive shoes and flashy ties. Piedmont could fire me, bawl me out, abuse me, put it on my record that I was an incorrigible son of a bitch, make sure I never taught in South Carolina again, or cut off my teacher's pension. That was all he could do. His power was economic and emotional, not spiritual or supernatural. ”
“What had I seen? Too much. What did I know? Only that knowledge carries a damned high price. Miss Wilcox, my teacher, had taught me so much. Why had she never taught me that?”
“From the beginning I've searched out those writers unafraid to stir up the emotions, who entrust me with their darkest passions, their most indestructible yearnings, and their most soul-killing doubts. I trust the great novelists to teach me how to live, how to feel, how to love and hate. I trust them to show me the dangers I will encounter on the road as I stagger on my own troubled passage through the complicated life of books that try to teach me how to die.”
“There is an incident which occurred at the examination during my first year at the high school and which is worth recording. Mr. Giles, the Educational Inspector, had come on a visit of inspection. He had set us five words to write as a spelling exercise. One of the words was 'kettle'. I had mis-spelt it. The teacher tried to prompt me with the point of his boot, but I would not be prompted. It was beyond me to see that he wanted me to copy the spelling from my neighbour's slate, for I had thought that the teacher was there to supervise us against copying. The result was that all the boys, except myself, were found to have spelt every word correctly. Only I had been stupid. The teacher tried later to bring this stupidity home to me, but without effect. I never could learn the art of 'copying'. ”