ON TEACHING: The Power of Active Words

Mother Dolores which literally translates “pains”, was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. She was a Spanish nun that taught us Calculus and Physics. She was a pure physicist, a scientist and philosopher.
Despite being a nun, the education she gave us wasn’t particularly religious but the impact she made in my life is not something to be forgotten. Her mind was made of an exquisite clarity; her commitment to G’d and Physics was non-negotiable; and her life was dedicated to the Church, the classroom and the physics lab. How she approached Physics was a religious endeavor full of rituals and commitment.
More than twenty years ago during a Calculus class she quoted, “Don’t give the sacred to the dogs,” after one of my classmates had dumped a Hail Mary stamp in the recycling paper bin, as if it had been a failed test. Mother Dolores picked up the stamp and delicately ripped it off in little pieces. She put the pieces in one of her habit’s pockets letting us know that she will burn them later.

Whomever or whatever you love, your dearest and non material possessions cannot be given to those who not only won’t value them but who would consider it scum or even make fun of them. “Honey is not for the donkey’s mouth,” another saying goes.
Mother Dolores was a pain to some of our classmates who could not understand her style and who were frequently challenged by the genius component of her classes. She taught us Physics and Calculus without having any textbooks except for those notes she prepared with drawings, explanations and exercises out of her own invention.
Colombia’s education system doesn’t have AP Honor classes (and not today as far as I know). Every student rows in the same boat. However, there are certain classes that can be labeled as Honors according to the teachers’ skills, knowledge, and experience. In a technical sense of the word, Mother Dolores’ Physics and Calculus classes were all AP Honors.
What happened to those students who inadvertently step up in an “Honor” class? They failed and had to take the subject once or twice more until they got a passing grade or repeated the whole academic year which wasn't fair considering that all of us have different learning styles and intelligence types.

Mother Dolores was a woman, a nun, a physicist, a teacher, a scientist and probably one of the most ethical persons I’ve ever known. I am truly grateful for all her teachings, lessons and mostly the example she gave us which transcended the subject matters.
Except for the nun part, she was a role model for me, someone I would like to become when I grew older, when I would turn into a woman; I would imitate her behavior in a professional sense –except for the nun part—.

I didn’t know the word epistemology at that time; however it was she who provided it with full meaning in advance. She also taught us about the scientific method, the importance of research and the mandatory character of scientific rigor. The most compelling of her attitudes was that whatever she said, she did it. She lived by her principles and always fulfilled her promises.

It was in the small details that I learned from her, so unique, so true to herself, so authentic.
She had a scarce and broad laughter when a really funny situation arose. Silly jokes didn’t impress her. Her sense of humor was witty and she preferred the intellectual elaborate type. It was hard to make her laugh but when she did, we enjoyed that laughter immensely.

During a Physics class she gave us a second remarkable quote which was almost riddle-like,

“The people who don’t know and know they don’t know are ignorant. Teach them.

“The people who know and don’t know they know are blind. Open their eyes.
“The people who know and know they know are wise. Learn from them.
“The people who don’t know and don’t know they don’t know are fools. Run away from them as far as you can.”

Of course, the biggest issue at the end is how to tell apart the one who knows from the one that doesn’t.