Shari Wilson does it again for Inside Higher Ed with an excellent essay on the attitudinal issues that teachers sometimes project in their classrooms, called "A Poor Desk-Side Manner." It's a very smart piece on how teachers sometimes slip into modes that are either too tyrannical or too softie. She takes the side of the learner, and suggests that teachers need to find a "voice" (just like writer's do) that balances the desire to be liked or respected against the desire to lead and educate.

For more about the power-relations inherent to this subject, you might be interested in my review of Keith Johnstone's book Impro, regarding the "status exchanges" that play out on the classroom floor.

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