GOATs
Stuart Drexler
EdTech | Product Leader | AI | UE | Constructionist Learning | xLEGO, xDisney, xMIT
Greatest of All Time. This term has largely become synonymous in recent years with the best athletes in a sport, but the same logic applies equally well to any discipline one might master - music, medicine, technological innovation, leadership, artistry, cooking, and on and on. And while we can and do argue legitimately between our respective favorites within any given category of GOAT, the truth is that we can likely agree that all of these top-of-the-tops are collective standard-bearers of excellence in their respective fields. So, let us consider our personal GOATs of education…
How many truly amazing, inspiring teachers or professors have you had in your life?
I frequently ask this question of others and find that most people cannot count past their fingers on one hand. Can you? If you can, consider yourself fortunate.
With boundless gratitude then, I list here in chronological order (rather than by rank, since I hold them all in equally high esteem), my GOAT teachers:
Mrs. Bea Berkin - 2nd and 3rd grade
Her compassion, warmth and patience got me reading, writing and fully embracing school. She helped forge the bedrock of my education.
Mrs. Sarah Wallace - 9th grade English
Until her class, English had largely meant book reports. She saw us each as individuals, but also as a learning collective in her crafty care, propelling us on a journey of connection and discovery through the written word. What’s more, her caring but no-nonsense approach meant you could not hide out in class. In this boat, everyone had to row.
Professor Paul Feyerabend - Classic Greek Philosophy?
I never knew that a subject which I initially believed to be foreign and ancient could be brought to life and made so very personal until I succumbed to the spell of this acclaimed ‘radical philosopher’. His aging and frail physical demeanor completely belied his immense intellectual inertia and deft at drawing people from their shells.
Professor Donald Oliver - Principles of Curriculum and Pedagogy
His promise (or threat) to give the class over to us students halfway into the semester “had me at ‘Hello’”, and he remained true to his word. His risk became our reward. I learned more from my peers and our desire to challenge ourselves and one another than I could ever have imagined. Don was an instigator, a master facilitator, and a thoroughly kind individual.
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Professor Seymour Papert - The Future of Education
Like a sweet and slightly zany uncle, he had a natural way of disarming you such that you would dissolve your academic preconceptions, let down your inhibitions to speak your truth, and fully embrace the constructivist approach to learning. He was at the same time an inspiration to us all and even more zestful for the inspiration that we could each bring to his own thinking and that of our peers.??
Collectively, these educators all shared the following traits:
These are my truths, as I have experienced them. Yours surely differed. So, now I ask you…
Think of your own schooling journey through whatever level of high school, undergraduate or postgraduate studies you may have completed:
Thank you in advance for giving a shout out to your own GOAT teachers!