Thursday 5 September 2013

Best Teacher I Ever Had by David Owen




Mr. Whitson taught sixth-grade science. On the first day of class, he gave us a lecture about a creature called the cattywampus, an ill-adapted nocturnal animal that was wiped out during the Ice Age. He passed around a skull as he talked. We all took notes and later had a quiz.

When he returned my paper, I was shocked. There was a big red X through each of my answers. I had failed. There had to be some mistake! I had written down exactly what Mr. Whitson said. Then I realized that everyone in the class had failed. What had happened?

Very simple, Mr. Whitson explained. He had made up all the stuff about the cattywampus. There had never been any such animal. The information in our notes was, therefore, incorrect. Did we expect credit for incorrect answers?

Needless to say, we were outraged. What kind of test was this? And what kind of teacher?

We should have figured it out, Mr. Whitson said. After all, at the every moment he was passing around the cattywampus skull (in truth, a cat's), hadn't he been telling us that no trace of the animal remained? He had described its amazing night vision, the color of its fur and any number of other facts he couldn't have known. He had given the animal a ridiculous name, and we still hadn't been suspicious. The zeroes on our papers would be recorded in his grade book, he said. And they were.

Mr. Whitson said he hoped we would learn something from this experience. Teachers and textbooks are not infallable. In fact, no one is. He told us not to let our minds go to sleep, and to speak up if we ever thought he or the textbook was wrong.

Every class was an adventure with Mr. Whitson. I can still remember some science periods almost from beginning to end. On day he told us that his Volkswagon was a living organism. It took us two full days to put together a refutation he would accept. He didn't let us off the hook until we had proved not only that we knew what an organism was but also that we had the fortitude to stand up for the truth.

We carried our brand-new skepticism into all our classes. This caused problems for the other teachers, who weren't used to being challenged. Our history teacher would be lecturing about something, and then there would be clearings of the throat and someone would say "cattywampus.''

If I'm ever asked to propose a solution to the problems in our schools, it will be Mr. Whitson. I haven't made any great scientific discoveries, but Mr. Whitson's class gave me and my classmates something just as important: the courage to look people in the eye and tell them they are wrong. He also showed us that you can have fun doing it.

Not everyone sees the value in this. I once told an elementary school teacher about Mr. Whitson. The teacher was appalled. "He shouldn't have tricked you like that,'' he said. I looked that teacher right in the eye and told him that he was wrong.


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P - Productivity S - Speed R - Relevancy    
Price: $20.00 USD. Approx. 22,870 words. Language: English. Published on August 23, 2013. Category: Essay. 
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Published: Aug. 23, 2013 
Words: 22,870 (approximate)
Language: English
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is a story of Pilots in Aviation who are unable to cope. This is not a book to teach you how to get into an Aviation School or even how to live like a Pilot. In fact, it describes how one can become a Successfull Aviator not just an Airplane Driver [ So called Pilot ] with very small changes in life. Also Why abroad trained Pilots are better Aviator and Why FAA, CASA, CAAP, CAA are better civil Aviation Authority then DGCA.
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Ankisha Awasthi 
Be An Aviator not A Pilot     
Price: $1.99 USD. Approx. 4,750 words. Language: English. Published on July 24, 2013. Category: Fiction.  As A Fact Out Of Every 1000 Pilots Only 1 Pilot Becomes An Airline Pilot, The Book Is All About Those 999 Pilots Only.
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Pilot’s Career Guide  
Price: $20.00 USD. Approx. 25,040 words. Language: English. Published on July 13, 2013. Category: Nonfiction.  
International Airline Pilot’s Career Guide Learn Step By Step How to Become an International Airlines Pilot By Shekhar Gupta And Niriha Khajanchi
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Cabin Crew Career Guide


Published: Aug. 26, 2013 
Words: 2,160 (approximate)
Language: English
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