Teaching Style Of Walt Whitman

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Before Walt Whitman was ever a writer, he was a teacher. He was a teacher who was highly admired by his students. He tended to use methods that were nontraditional, and therefore were typically frowned upon by parents and other adults. However, this did not stop Whitman from expressing himself, and allowing Others to do the same, through his teaching. Whitman’s pedagogy as demonstrated in Leaves of Grass and Song of Myself, though seen as radical in his own time, is one that can be learned from and admired in today 's society. In Leaves of Grass, Whitman demonstrates a teaching method which allows the necessary way of teaching and learning. He recognizes the need for learning about the past, but he also knows there is no point dwelling …show more content…

Whitman is inherently a teacher, and this is a fact that he does not hide. He does, however, recognize that he is not the only person who holds his ideals. “These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands, they are not original with me.” (Whitman, 430) One thing that makes Whitman such an excellent teacher is his ability to recognize that he is not a supreme person because he is a teacher. “Though he often spoke fondly of his days as a schoolmaster later in his life, Whitman did not enjoy the profession.” (Wang) Whitman, although an excellent teacher, did not always enjoy the restrictions that came with it, and therefore abandoned teaching as a …show more content…

Had it not been for Whitman, perhaps teaching methods today would be very different. He applied teaching methods that are even admired in today’s society. Interactive education is applied and seen as very important in educational systems today. Whitman’s influence continues to be of vital importance, his example employed in nearly every educational system. Teachers learn numerous things from a study of Whitman’s pedagogy, therefore making Whitman a character of

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