Enrique Yepes (Spanish) on Teaching

Consultant Introductions

Learn more about a consultant, including some of their thoughts on teaching.

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Rachel Beane
Deb DeGraff
Ed Laine
Sarah McMahon
Bill VanDerWolk
Enrique Yepes

I have been teaching since I was a teenager, and have worked with all ages and at various levels back in Colombia, where I grew up. Two quotes that someday I'll put on a three-by-five card and display in front of my desk are:

"The point is not to teach us something in particular. The point is to make us bold, agile, subtle, intelligent, detached. And to give pleasure." -Susan Sontag.

"For the dialogical, problem-posing teacher-student, the program content of education is neither a gift nor an imposition -bits of information to be deposited in the students- but rather the organized, systematized, and developed 're-presentation' to individuals of the things about which they want to know more" -Paulo Freire.

What is important to me, whenever possible, is to have a dialogue with the students in discovering, dealing with problems, getting involved. I've also discovered that, more often than not, less is more. Many times I have overwhelmed my classes with excessive data, only to re-learn that what matters is the opening of possibilities and the fostering of methods of inquiry. I've found that varying the dynamics of the class, dividing it into ten to fifteen minute activities, is highly effective. I've also learned that students appreciate the use of different forms of evaluation: take-homes, in-class exams, group work, etc. I struggle the most with time-management, the selection of materials, and getting to understand the teaching culture of the US and Bowdoin without giving up what I value most about teaching and learning. Life is a work in progress.

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