I expect I'm the only one whose heart wasn't warmed by that story.
I completely agree that it is a rush, and as addictive as any drug. But I, personally, continue the metaphor -- my experience on both sides of the desk has led me to observe that it is as destructive of self and others as any other addiction.
That sort of behavior is a non-consensual, non-negotiated power-trip scene, and in my book that makes it not OK.
You're not wrong, Siderea. It is a rush, and rushes often do more for the damaged ego than for the purported beneficiaries. I encountered the darker side of that "power trip" (the perfect description) when I got to graduate school. I've tried to rope it in when I was a teacher myself, and I learned to recognize when the authority of teaching crossed the line into despotism. It was frightening to see full professors who hadn't learned that limit, or who gleefully exceeded it. When your students are weeping with frustration, it is YOU, the teacher, who is wrong.
Was it a power trip for me that day in English 143? Heck yeah. It's one reason why undergrads and other 18 year olds should not be teaching without observation. Still, it was a heck of a memory for me.
(no subject)
I completely agree that it is a rush, and as addictive as any drug. But I, personally, continue the metaphor -- my experience on both sides of the desk has led me to observe that it is as destructive of self and others as any other addiction.
That sort of behavior is a non-consensual, non-negotiated power-trip scene, and in my book that makes it not OK.
The Dark Side
Was it a power trip for me that day in English 143? Heck yeah. It's one reason why undergrads and other 18 year olds should not be teaching without observation. Still, it was a heck of a memory for me.
Axiom