A picture frame is not supposed to detract from the picture or the painting. It frames and assists us in focusing on the painting. If our eye keeps going to the frame and not the picture, then the frame is not doing its job. Unfortunately for me, when I teach about prayer, I seem to be a fame pointing to myself. I talk too much about me and my experience in prayer and not enough about the ideas of the person or writing I am supposed to be presenting. So people don't get to learn a lot about famous, insightful people on prayer issues, but do get to hear a lot about my experience with reflecting on the material I am supposed to be teaching. I would make a lousy college professor. At the end of one of my presentations, I sometimes feel that the people learned little. "I am a failure," or "Time to give this up," and so on. Then someone comes up to me and says how helpful my talk was because I gave my experience and did not just talk about the book or author. Even my experience of failure in prayer seems to help some people. Maybe people are not so interested in more information? All very confusing. Maybe time to for another line of work.
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In translating the information into personal experience, it becomes much easier to relate to - that makes effective teaching.
ReplyDeleteEven revealing uncertainty is reassuring.
I'd personally prefer thay you keep on doing what you're doing now. That's my vote if I get one.
ReplyDeleteI liked my college lectures, but 98% of them are replaceable with books. The professors who really made a difference for me were more of a guide than sources of raw information. I think that's even more true for stuff like this. I like this blog because it feels like we're on the same path.
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