In brief

14th November 2003, 12:00am

Share

In brief

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/brief-206
Lessons of the Masters: the Charles Eliot Norton lectures. By George Steiner. Harvard University Press pound;12.95.

A child, particularly a young one, will commonly speak not of “our teacher” but, proudly, of “my teacher”. That hint of a special, possessive relationship is at the heart of these lectures given by George Steiner at Harvard University last year analysing the age-old relationship between the charismatic “master” - examples include Jesus, Socrates, Virgil, Kepler and Heidegger - and the individual pupil.

It’s a densely argued book, but in its affirmation of pedagogy it’s timely, given current emphasis on how children learn and the growth of “e-learning”. In Steiner’s words, “To teach seriously is to lay hands on what is most vital in a human being; to seek access to the quick and the innermost of a child’s or an adult’s integrity.”

He goes on: “Bad teaching is, almost literally, murderous and, metaphorically, a sin.” True - but readers might take issue with his assessment that such “anti-teaching is statistically close to being the norm.” Is there nothing acceptable between charismatic mastery and its murderous opposite?

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared