According to Gilbert Highet, The Art of Teaching was named such because, “I believe that teaching is an art, not a science… You must throw your heart into [teaching], you must realize that it cannot all be done by formulas.” There, then, seems one aspect of Highet’s teaching method which differentiates from a scientific method—the human personality. It is one thing to build a bridge by constructing mathematical formulas and correlating those formulas to the material, however, there is such an admiration for beauty in visionary design meant for a greater aesthetic value than merely a formula. Highet advocates creative “bridge-building” by integrating the human person with the teaching method.
First of all, Highet describes the most vital attribute of a good teacher—knowing the subject. What good is there for a teacher who knows the same amount of information, if not less, than his students? Simply, there is none. Knowing the subject also means keeping tabs upon current growth in the subject and continually gaining knowledge pertaining to the subject. Now, Highet poses the question—“Why can a teacher not simply learn the rudiments of the subject, master them thoroughly, and then stop?” (13). The best answer to this is: one cannot understand the rudiments of an important subject without knowing its higher levels.
Now, how does knowing the subject relate to bridge-building? Without knowing how to build a bridge, one cannot build a bridge. There is no direction for which the bridge to start or stop, there is no knowledge of needed materials for building, and one knows not the purpose of the bridge! In the same way, without knowing a subject, there is nothing a teacher can give to a student—no direction, information, or purpose. Highet articulates, “The neglect of [knowing the subject] is one of the chief reasons for the bad teaching that makes pupils hate schools and universities” (14).
Now, Highet proceeds to discuss a second important characteristic, quite related to the first—liking the subject which one teaches. Now liking a subject does not mean liking all of a subject, but how trusting would one be of a doctor who disliked medicine? In the same parallel, liking the subject means a continued interest and total immersion in topics pertaining to the subject—even Highet proclaims, “If you do enjoy the subject, it will be easy to teach even when you are tired, and delightful when you are feeling fresh” (20).
The way a teacher “builds a bridge” between the students and the information requires mastery of especially contemporary knowledge. He is the architect who knows the recent advances in engineering while also maintaining the aesthetic integrity and beauty of the bridge. Highet asserts that, “A wise teacher will choose particular areas of his subject which he believes will be both interesting and illuminating, and will find that his increasing knowledge of them will give him a sense of mastery” (24). By keeping interested, the teacher also peaks the interest of his students—and, in turn, increases their ability to retain information.
Highet addresses the final mark of a good teacher—knowing and liking his students. He notes how, “The good teacher feels that same flow of energy [from the youth], constantly supplied by the young” (27). He admits, however, that there are some devil youths—whom he names as “eccentrics.” If anything, Highet encourages an impersonal relationship with these students—for fear that they would “explode” (42). But, by knowing the students, whether they are eccentric, viscerotonic (pleasure-drive), somatotonic (image-driven), or cerebrotonic (thought-driven), the teacher can better design the bridge over the gap* between the students and information.
Highet explicitly mentions two functions of the teacher—which distinguishes him from a business man or the likes. The first function includes, “Making a bridge between school or college and the world” (49). That means the teacher makes whatever subject to be taught—whether be Latin, Theology, or Mathematics— relatable and applicable to contemporary society, and having students recognize that respective subject in their daily lives. Secondly, the teacher must, “Make a bridge between youth and maturity” (52). This is the ability to structure the class to access the students’ youthful energy while not allowing frivolity to ensue.
Finally, Highet makes the statement, “Difficult though this bridge-building between two worlds may be, it is possible; it is necessary; it is done by the best teachers” (52). Obviously there is more to teaching than lesson plans and subject matter—just as how bridge-building requires more than just a knowledge of mathematics, engineering, and architecture. The best bridge-builders are artists (e.g. the Golden Gate Bridge). In a similar way, the best teachers are also artists, infusing their souls and hearts into teaching.
