"A Good Man"

I was reminded yesterday of what Abigail Adams once said of George Washington.  He was, she remarked, "a dangerous man."  That was because Washington could persuade people to do things.  of course, many men including tyrants/despots could do that.  Napoleon, Caesar, Hitler, Castro, and others immediately come to mind.

But as the speaker was concluding this story, noting how lucky we were to have had Washington when we did, I found myself saying out loud what the speaker was saying, "because he was a good man."

Listening to several lectures over the weekend, I was again reminded of how difficult good lecturing really is.  Each of the speakers seemed to know his/her stuff.  A couple were quite good, especially the one who spoke of Washington.  He had a heartfelt round of applause (not the trendy obligatory and faux standing ovation!) and deserved it.  Another was pretty good, although I think his efforts were lost on his audience.  Two others were, frankly, lousy.  Although the subjects were of interest, they didn't put things together.  I think it's also worth noting that the two best (of half a dozen or so) used no Power Points or other visual aids.

In the same vein, I read last week this, from a college professor:  "People who don't teach for a living don't [recognize/realize] its difficulty."  No, I don't think most people do.  I think many folks, including those misplaced in the educational system (that is, charged with decision-making), think that anyone can teach.  Whoever came up with "Those who can do and those who can't teach" did a great disservice.