Perhaps the most interesting person I have ever met is an Italian professor of philosophy who teaches at the University of Pisa. Although I last met this man eight years ago, I have not forgotten his special qualities. btB% []
First of all, I was impressed from the beginning by his devotion to teaching. Because his lectures were always well=prepared and clearly delivered, students always swarmed into his classroom. His followers also appreciated the fact that he believed in what he taught and that he was always stimulating. (引人入胜的)Furthermore he could be counted on in every class session to explain his ideas in an imaginative way, introducing such aids to student understanding as oil paintings, phonograph records, pieces of sculpture, and guest lecturers. Once he even sang a song in class in order to illustrate a point. , gH Dx
Second, I admired the fact that he would confer with students outside of the classroom or talk with them on the telephone. Drinking coffee in the snack bar, he would easily make friends with students. Sometimes he would challenge a student to join with him a game of chess. At other times, he would quite readily join groups to discuss subjects ranging from astronomy to scuba diving. Many young people visited him in his office for academic advice; others came to his home for social evenings. / Oono6j
Finally, I was impressed and attracted by his lively wit. He believed that no class hour is a success unless the students and the professor share several chuckles and at least one loud laugh. Through his sense of humor, he made learning much more enjoyable and lasting. If it is true that life makes a wise man smile and a foolish man cry, then my friend is truly a wise man. Probably the best example of his wit is this idea with which he once ended a lecture : ”It is as dangerous for man to model himself up on his invention, the machine, as it would be for God to model himself upon His invention. ”
