A philosophy of teaching has been handed down to me by several exemplars of teaching. Those exemplars who provided the basis of my philosophy of teaching include Professors Edward Stone, Herbert Baker, Rodney Arkeley, Paul Zinke, Kenneth Babcock, Roderic Park, and Kenneth Ware.

From Ed Stone, I learned that teaching was a serious undertaking. He taught me that it was important what students learned and that I had an obligation to make sure that my teaching was relevant.

Herbert Baker and Rod Arkeley taught me that the love one has for one's chosen field can be infectious if shared with the students. If one infects students with that spirit, they will never stop their pursuit of learning. I think Herbert Baker never saw a plant he did not like. Rod Arkeley taught me how to determine soil texture by taking a pinch of soil in the palm of my hand, spitting on it, and forming the moistened mixture into a cast. To watch him do it was to watch a man in love not just with the soil he rubbed in his palm, but all soil.

Paul Zinke overflowed with enthusiasm when he taught. His sustained level of enthusiasm has been a wonder to observe for more than thirty years. When Paul was sixty-nine years old, he taught a day of forest soils at the Forestry Department's summer camp. It was a very hot day and we traveled several miles on dusty roads to reach various soil types. His enthusiasm never waned and it carried the students for the full day.

From Kenneth Babcock, I learned the power of really knowing what it is you teach. I never heard a student ask him a question that he could not answer. The depth of his knowledge never intimidated his students, but gave us a great confidence in him as a teacher.

From Rod Park, I learned the value of organization in presenting lectures and teaching laboratories. His lectures and labs were remarkably well organized. Students never felt lost in the flow of information he presented.

Finally, I must add Kenneth Ware to my list of exemplars. He was a professor of forest biometrics at Iowa State University, where I went to teach after completing my graduate work at Berkeley. As a neophyte assistant professor I asked him for any suggestions for teaching. He looked me straight in the eye and said, "You've got to love them a little." Experience continues to remind me of that insight. A teacher cannot expect to have the respect, esteem, and love of students unless he or she is willing to offer those qualities to the students. Once the students know that you really care about them, teaching is easy.

The keywords of my philosophy of teaching include relevance, love of subject, enthusiasm, knowledge, organization, feedback, practicality , and love of the students . But like the keywords to journal articles, these terms alone cannot convey the idea of the philosophy. These keywords are more like adjectives and adverbs that modify a philosophy which is so difficult to articulate. Maybe its essence is to give the students something worth knowing, convey it with enthusiasm, and provide an organization that will stimulate students to continue to grow in their knowledge of the subject and of themselves.

Revised: 1993