Scholarship on the One Hand; Teaching on the Other.

Dear Paul F., Colleagues Across
the Curriculum & our Courses
Without Borders program:



SCHOLARSHIP in it’s original
sense indicates products of
“leisure-time” (L. schola) activity.
From which also: the term
SCHOOL.

I remind my students (from I.E.
steu: stunned and struck stupid)
of the initial meaning of “school,”
“scholar” & “scholarship” as often
as I can: the joy of seeing them
wince at the irony!

(I.E. wer⁶ : to speak—word & verb
& verve, 3 little “ironists” all in the
“to speak” family so to speak.)

Right at this Be-Here-Now moment
I am actively practicing scholarship
demonstrating its original sense.
Leisurely if not timely. Poning
joy, too: the advice of many
bumper stickers.



TEACHING, on the other hand…

(not to be collapsed, conflated, &
confused with “scholarship”; LIKE
collapsing suffering & pain: sure, close
associates — but not the same deal.)

…indicates effort to impart knowledge
& skill & instruct; “cause to learn by
example, to advocate, preach”—from
I.E. deik: “to show,” to pronounce
solemnly: —signal, betoken: dictate doctrine,

"Ditty" & "digit" are kin, as in fingering, to
index & indicate— pointing to the bird in
the bush, say, as the young dog waggingly
admires his master’s finger and misses the
bird altogether.

Look WHERE I’m pointing, not at my
pointer, for crying out loud (Master,
expostulating.) The sign is not the thing
signified, stupid!

(part of the problem of
indicating, showing off:
teaching.)

Read my lips if you can— & don’t
be distracted by the words so to speak.

Scholarship is something else.

Maybe you can improve
my terms & images but try
to keep the distinctions in
play. We might could figure,
wrangle, and wrestle out
for our own small collective
SELF this old scholarship vs.
teaching conundrum.

(Got to choose my Magistery! True?
No myn can serve both. "Leisure" on
the one hand. "Pointing IT out like a
sonofagun" on the other)

xxxooo, Sam