Six days after being discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps, I found myself in a high school classroom for the first time in years. The first difficulty was putting together a suitable outfit to wear since I was accustomed to wearing a uniform. My simile for teaching back then was as a Drill Instructor. I wanted those squirrelly students in rows, sitting at attention, displaying perfect behavior. I marched up and down the aisles, ensuring a regimented routine at all times. My students enjoyed me barking orders, and even better, were inspired to learn by listening to a Drill Instructor command their every movement and thought.
Thankfully, for all the students that followed, this class taught me this was the worst possible way to go about managing a classroom. I've tried on many hats over the years, and if pressed to define my current metaphor for teaching, it would be a question mark-the symbol of Inquiry. Asking questions and helping folks find answers is a very rewarding.
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