Blaine Garvin, Gonzaga faculty
With age comes wisdom. Not to mention a few challenges. Blaine Garvin, Political Science professor at Gonzaga for 40 years, is not at all bashful to admit this. That’s why, for the first time this year, he is offering to the 20 or so students in his introductory class a guide to help them communicate with their professor.
“Advantages and disadvantages of having a teacher who is old enough to be your grandfather,” begins Dr. Garvin’s essay on explaining the working conditions of his classroom.
The advantages: “Honestly, I know a lot more than I used to,” he writes. “More information at my fingertips means that I have more to share with you. After all these years my judgment is balanced and fair, I think.
“More importantly, I like what I do. Some people my age yearn for retirement; but I’m sure that I am already grazing the greenest pasture. Gonzaga has nurtured me and I have loved the place for forty years. It’s not just that teaching is my vocation – teaching at Gonzaga is my vocation, my life’s work. Drawing life from the work I do with students, I want to give back – to help you learn and grow.
“I blossom in the fall.”
The disadvantages: “Most have to do with my age or how my age magnifies certain traits,” he says, describing his challenges with hearing and seeing. “Here’s the trouble then. You can’t always tell if I’m there. ‘Is he listening to me? Is he taking me seriously? He seems kind of dismissive’.” Dr. Garvin goes on to describe his “down-turned mouth [inherited from generations of Garvins] and a sagging chin [ah, cruel gravity] – marks that can make my solemn expression [‘I’m thinking!’] look mean.”
He admits, too, that his sense of humor, which leans toward quips rather than jokes, can come across as sharp. Example: “Once a student who’d had a string of bad grades asked me, ‘How can I improve my standing in the class?’ Reasonable question. ‘Do better,’ I said. Then I tried to say something more helpful, but it was too late.” The negative student evaluation that resulted “stunned” the professor; evidence that after four decades of teaching, what students think still matters. A lot. “You might say that the aim of my self-improvement project this fall is to avoid being stunned like that again.”
And so he offers a solution:
“I think I know what I need to do. Here’s how you can help.
“You should work with the good. This guy wants to help, so let him. Talk to him. But be aware of how he can go wrong and call him out when he slips. [‘Look at me. Listen to me.’]
“For my part, I’m determined to improve. After all, you can only go so far on good looks.”
Story by Carol Bonino, Gonzaga University