In late June, the Forum hosted a small group of teaching men from around the world, from California to Japan, for a week-long practical class on liberal arts pedagogy. Veteran Heights faculty, Austin Hatch and Tom Steenson, led the series of workshops and seminars, sharing their nearly fifty years of combined experience in the classroom.
The week began with an introductory talk by Austin Hatch on “The Ends and Means” of teaching. Following Austin was the first group seminar, where they discussed G.K. Chesterton’s humorous and insightful essay on cheese. After lunch, Tom Steenson discussed how a teacher’s room affects the culture within that classroom.
On Tuesday, despite the rain, the group journeyed to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Matthew Mehan, former Heights faculty and current associate professor at Hillsdale College’s DC campus offered a tour of the statuary on the Capitol and the Supreme Court. He related the different facades and works of art on the buildings to the American Founders’ ideas of republican self-government in the Western Tradition. The rain only made the trip better, as Dr. Mehan brought the soaked crew of teachers to the Kirby center for a brief lecture on the formative power of images in the classroom.
The rest of the week followed a similar daily schedule of two workshops and a seminar discussion on a literary work. Much of the workshop’s theme touched on the nature of the teacher and the students, recognizing that, as free, embodied souls, the teacher is challenged to do more than just teach, but to encourage and challenge each student to become a man fully alive. On the last day, Tom and Austin emphasized the nobility of the teaching vocation, reminding the teachers that though education presents many challenges, its fruits are eternal. In his final talk, Tom encouraged the newer teachers: “Try to do things well, but be not afraid to do them poorly,” because as Chesterton put it: if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly.
The Forum is grateful to Austin Hatch and Tom Steenson for organizing and running a personalized week of formation,.offering their time and years of experience.