Why I Teach
by
Source
The Law Teacher, Volume 9, number 1 (Fall 2001), p. 12.
About the Author
Tony Arnold teaches at Chapman University School of Law, One University Drive, Orange, CA 92866-1011; (714) 628-2509; fax (714) 628-2576; caarnold [at] chapman.edu
Why do you teach?
From the Institute for Law School Teaching:
We are interested in knowing why you teach. Please tell us your story in 350 words or less. Send your story to the Institute at ilst@lawschool.gonzaga.edu.
Professor Tony Arnold wrote about why he teaches. His article, which originally appeared in the Chapman Journal (Fall 2000), inspired us to find out why others teach. Here is why Tony teaches:
Why I teach
More than anything, my passion for a model of personalized education that emphasizes mentoring influenced me to select an offer to teach at Chapman University School of Law six years ago. Although mentoring each student is unique and multifaceted, I have appreciated several features of my rapport with students at Chapman.
I am available and accessible outside of class. I try to be keenly attuned to the struggles, successes, strengths, and weaknesses of each student. I enjoy supervising student papers, because students choose topics that excite them and I am able to provide them detailed feedback on drafts. I praise intelligent insights and encourage more rigorous thinking, as the students craft their own "masterpieces." I care very much about what a student will do with his or her education. I am an advocate for my students with prospective employers, picking up the phone or offering to write a letter of recommendation whenever appropriate.
Finally, I believe that a vastly higher degree of learning occurs when faculty and students come to know each other as humans, not just educational participants. The rewards of mentorship have been tremendous. Along the way, my ideas and values, and even my life have become interwoven with the ideas, values, and lives of those students who in turn will make a difference in the lives of others.
Dozens of students and former students attended my wedding in June 2000, and three former students participated in the wedding. It was a testimony to the privilege of mentoring students -- they are a part of my life and I a part of theirs. Because we learn not just from books or classes but from life itself, I am confident that they and I have learned more from our shared journeys than we could learn merely by study and lecture.
