Perfectly reasonable deviations from the beaten track
If a non-physicist has a poster of a physicist, it’s probably a poster of Albert Einstein. But if a physicist has a poster of a physicist, it’s likely to be a poster of Richard Feynman. Feynman is somewhat of a cult hero among physicists because not only was he a top-notch researcher — he won the Nobel prize in 1965 — but also a colorful character. He is remembered for his teaching, his bongo playing, his practical jokes, and his public service as well as his science.
Michelle Feynman edited a collection of her father’s correspondence into a book Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track. Here I want to comment on a quotation from a letter Richard Feynman wrote regarding his review of science textbooks for the California State Curriculum Commission. The quote comes from pages 214 of the book and includes the phrase that became the title of the book.
… the teacher’s manual doesn’t realize the possibilities of correct answers different from the expected ones and the teacher instruction is not enough to enable her to deal with perfectly reasonable deviations from the beaten track.
Poor teachers fear deviations from the beaten track; good teachers delight in them. Poor teachers fear that deviations will expose their ignorance. Good teachers know their subject well but are not afraid to admit ignorance when necessary. Poor teachers fear that deviations will cause them to lose control. Good teachers are willing to let go of a little superficial control in exchange for more control at a deeper level. When students deviate from the beaten track, they are interacting with the material and beginning to make it their own. Good teachers try to create such situations, not suppress them.
