Does “Professionalism” in Teaching Imply Legitimate Neglect of Student Needs?

Abstract

Does professionalism in academic teaching mean that no teacher may legitimately offer his instruc tional assistance to a student not his own ? Is the college or university professor's province so sacrosanct that stu dents under his assignment may not seek, or accept, in structional assistance from another faculty member of the same field? No reasonable educator wou1d ever, I believe, consider such a thesis as justified; but there are regrettable educators who operate precisely upon this argument. As a professional instructor in the field of Public Address, I recently found myself academically confronted with such limited thinking on the point, and I believe a dialog of the encounter worth relating. I am certain the condition infuses every field of the profes sion in some degree, and where paramount, affects the students' learning c1imate detrimentally. In December 1967 I was accorded the responsibility of accompanying, as Speech Faculty chaperon, a large group of students from my college to a Forensics at East Central State College in Ada, Okla homa. While there, I was assigned as a judge to evalu ate six or seven students in a competition in extempor aneous speaking. The student entrants were ushered into the com petition room, one at a time, where I presided as sole evaluator. As the first contestant, a young lady, stepped before me, I observed that she was all nerves as she clutched her brace of we1l-fingered 3x5 index cards on which her notes had been set down. Immediately familiar with this common pattern of behavior among many student speakers, I endeavored to relax her by suggesting that before she commence her speech, she take a moment to study her audience (me), look into my eyes, and get acquainted visually with her target. It was clear to my observation that she had never been made aware of the significance of this vital essential to effective public speaking, so I said gently: Remember, Miss ., public speaking is, in essence, the skill of getting the content of your mind into my mind, your ideas into my reasoning processes. You accomplish this by looking into my eyes as you speak those ideas to me. I don't mean a stare, of course, but simply that your eye contact with me is a way of measuring how well and effectively I am receiving and digesting your material. But, Sir, the girl replied, My instructor never told me I had to do that before. Try it. I said assuringly. But if I look at you, I can't read my notes. I smiled, for this, too, was a familiar worry of the neophyte speaker. Do you really require those cards, Miss.? I said to her.