Re: Genius and education

Very nice post, Lucy-Ruth.

My experience has been that people who get a great deal of support from
their college instructors also put a good deal of work into their
classes. I've considered myself fortunate that most or all of my
instructors have been so good, so encouraging. . .then started hearing
stories from other students and started teaching a very little bit on
the college level and figured out what was going on :).

I think the Lane Coutrell Section Man type person has a little bit of
knowledge, but not enough to see yet how glaringly ignorant you really
still are and how very much you still have to read. I saw the same
thing when I was an electrician. The guys right out of trade school who
just passed their journeyman's tests all seemed to have invincible, all
encompassing knowledge, while the foremen who had been running jobs for
30 years told me how they managed to learn something new on every job...

I think this isn't too far off the mark from ideas reflected in
Salinger's fiction. Seems like the more people think they know, the
more their knowledge hinders them. Teddy is an explicit example. You
see theater examples (a little too self consciously good), though, and
examples of speakers fond of the sound of their own voices, counter
examples of musicians who play their best even when they're just playing
a very small part, etc. Phonies and non-phonies :).

Jim

Lucy Pearson wrote:

> Dear All,
>
> Salinger ambivalent attitude towards education seems
> to me one that most of us involved in education can
> recognise. He's very hostile to the system and to
> specific aspects of the system, for example section
> men (I can't really say how justified that particular
> pet hate is as we don't generally have them in
> England). Personally, I simultaneously depair at some
> of the bureaucracy and mediocrity (both in teachers
> and students) inherent in the education system and
> rejoice at the concept of widely available education
> and research. I think that many people feel more
> strongly about this at university level because
> a. they expect it to be something rather more
> advanced, or at least different in emphasis, than high
> school, without taking into account the fct that
> students can hardly be expected to have transformed
> so very much in the six months between the two
> b. when you reach university level you are much more
> hihgly involved with the process; you are older,
> better educated and more critical and articulate, so
> your problems with the system become more focused.
>
> I have been lucky enough to have a series of inspired
> teachers over the course of my education, without whom
> I would never have achieved what I have. It is this
> kind of 'mentor' which Salinger seems to admire, and
> in my opinion they are the valuable part of the
> education system. If you want wide access, though, you
> have to have the boring, elemnetary and sometimes just
> downright bad.
>
> One last thing - the biggest attack on educational
> figures comes from Franny, and it's important to
> recognise that she does not necessarily represent the
> whole of Salinger's view on the matter. For all I love
> the spiritual element of F&Z, in many ways Franny's
> breakdown is quintessentially that of a bright college
> girl who's found that university is not the elevated,
> unworldy place she'd hoped.
>
> God, it's good to be back :-)
>
> Love, Lucy-Ruth
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Everything you'll ever need on one web page
> from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts
> http://uk.my.yahoo.com
> -
> * Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
> * UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH

-
* Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
* UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH