By the Way: A good teacher is always a good learner
By Rev. Dr. Nancy Cocks on September 4, 2021.
September always makes me reminisce about school. Given my 23 years as a full time student and 13 as a professor, that’s no surprise. From my first day in Grade 1 at River Heights School, I’ve always liked school. It was an adventure. With Dick and Jane in Grade 1, I learned to “Think and Do.” In first-year seminary, I learned how to think about Scripture in its original languages and ancient cultures. As a professor along with my first-year students, I learned how to think about internet research and distinguish reliable sites from more questionable ones. These days I guess Grade 1 students need that same skill, given how many weird ideas the internet offers! The Biblical character called “Wisdom” provides food for thought as a new school year begins. Cast as a woman, Wisdom bemoans those “who love being simple, scoffers who delight in scoffing and fools who hate knowledge.” (Proverbs 1) She must be pulling her hair out these days! Having spent so many years learning how to think critically and question my own assumptions, I despair over the way misleading opinions seem to trump rigorous research on vaccines or the climate crisis, for example. So I’m grateful for all my teachers who taught me how to examine arguments, evaluate evidence and reconsider conclusions. Jesus shared that experience. Faced by a Syrian woman who asked him to heal her daughter, he refused at first, based on his assumption she wasn’t a child of God. She challenged his conclusion so he could see her in a new way. (Mark 7.28-9) He healed her child. A good teacher is always a good learner. This September I give thanks for good teachers. And I pray for all students and teachers in the challenging year ahead, in their search for wisdom. For Scripture declares, “God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.” May God join us in our collective search. Rev. Dr. Nancy Cocks is a retired professor of theology. 5-4
