How a Class I took Taught Me about Learning

I love to learn. I have always loved to learn, and taken classes whenever I could. When we lived in Italy in 1984-87, I was able to complete my Bachelor’s Degree in English by taking classes at the Army base we were stationed at, Vicenza Army Base, through University of Maryland, European Division. However, no matter how many classes I took in Vicenza, there were still classes not available there that I needed to take to graduate. To complete these, I took classes by correspondence, and a creative writing class in Denia Spain on the Costa Blanca during the spring equinox.

One of our discussions onsite in Paris for our class.

     

 And I took, with a girl friend Susan, a one-week class in Paris, France in July 1985, “Expatriate Writers in Paris at the turn of the Century (Fin de Siecle).” We were given a list of eight books that were written by American authors who lived in Paris at the turn of the 20^th century to read and evaluate. Then we took the overnight train from Vicenza to

Me on the overnight train from Vicenza Italy to Paris

Paris to join the group of students. We shared a tiny hotel room in the center of Paris and met each day to visit the sites that were important in the lives of the expatriate writers we were studying, Henry James, Edith Wharton and others. We were immersed in the whole “Paris” experience—the art, Art Nouveau, Oscar Wilde, and theater.

       

 Each day was an adventure as we discussed the authors, their books, and the art that influenced them. There were no multiple answer quizzes, no true/false tests. Everything was discussion and dialogue. The two teachers directed the discussions, but allowed free expression and ideas. After classes we met at street cafes and talked some more.

        

As our week drew to an end, we had decided what the thesis of our final paper would be—what direction it would take about which author/s. Then our instructors realized that Susan and I would be leaving from the Paris Train station and our final Paris Project was set. The Paris Train Station was built in the late 1800s and was a favorite site for people to meet and see off their friends as they left for places all over the world. Our instructors reserved a room in the train station and planned a formal “farewell” for Susan and I. It wasn’t a normal party—it would be like someone in 1899 or at the Fin de Siecle would dress and act. Furthermore, each of would choose one individual in one of the books we had read and discussed, come dressed as that person, and stay in character all evening as that person. That would portray our in-depth knowledge of the character and book, and be included in our grade.

  

Susan (far left) in costume at the Paris Train Station

 

 

 

I can remember Susan and I looking all over Paris’ flea market for something to transform our clothes into a turn of the century costume that we could remove in a second after we boarded the train to look normal. My final costume included my black slip wrapped around my head; I purchased a flamboyant feather plume, black gloves, and a large black nylon scarf/shawl that I wrapped around to look like a long skirt. You can see Susan in

Me for my final project at the Paris Train Station

the mirror taking the photo, with a red wrap, paisley full slacks and one of my print scarves on her head. 

      Our teachers and others wore more elaborate costumes, but it was a fun and exciting experience to pretend to be a fictional character and to try to remember everything. I can only recall that I was a character from an Edith Wharton novel, and worried that someone would catch me making an error about a fact. I had to make up some reason for her to be taking the train to Vicenza because in the book she never went there—but that was acceptable.

      

Our instructors at the Paris Train Station

 

What did I learn from this class, besides the material taught in the class? I learned how you can make any class more interesting by making it more personal. You can relate anything to the student’s life and it will become more alive to them. You can involve them in role-playing and they will understand how another person feels.

I learned from that class that teaching is more than lecture—speech, talk, discourse. Teaching is imparting knowledge, enlightening, educating (teaching comes from “to lead forth”).   

 When teaching is done right, learning is fun.