02 Mar 2006
What’s a teacher for
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I’m still able to remember those far, far away days when I first met a computer. It was a “Craft ][”, a Brazilian Apple IIe clone. While my fellows were enjoying themselves playing Karateka (that was cinematographic, if you consider the Atari 2600 version) I was playing with my first BASIC statements, and worse (for the teachers’ opinion): I was eager to know what was there inside that box.
Fortunately, there was a different teacher among them all. A man that, despite his advantaged brains, was simple enough to never humiliate a student, never make a pupil feel lesser than anyone. His name is Roberto Dienstmann, and I don’t see him for a long while, now. But there’s not a single day in my life that I don’t have to thank him.
I think the most important thing Roberto (that was officially a Math teacher) could teach me was be not afraid of the unknown, at least regarding computers. Since computers were very, very expensive those days, the computing lab was reserved for the late year’s students, the “elite”. When I discovered there was a computer lab, and someone told me Professor Roberto was responsible for it, I asked him a way to have access, to. And he said: “the lab is here, the time schedule is this”. He then invited me to the room and completed: “the power button is here; make yourself your day, buddy”.
Of course I couldn’t do so much, because there were no research sources, there were no specialists. Knowledge was not accessible the way it is nowadays.
But Professor Roberto was always there. He didn’t teach us BASIC language; he didn’t teach us how to use word processors. He taught us how to think and how to use the computer as a tool. The only language he was inclined to teach was Logo, but not for the language or for the graphics; he taught Logo because the cute turtle makes your mind understand how a stupid device like a computer works, and how useful a stupid tool may become, if there is a capable human mind behind it.
I think I’m not exaggerating if I say I owe a lot of what I am and what I have to Professor Roberto. He was brilliant in helping young minds (like mine) to find their vocation, to find their way to build their lives and career based on a respectful, pleasant job.
In fact, I think that’s the real role of a teacher. Professor Roberto made it the way it has to be. And I’m proud that I’ve been one of his pupils.
Thank you, sir.
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Hey man!
It’s nice to know ’bout this teacher. You know, the real point in education is to make students learn how to think, to find their own solutions, instead of learning it by heart or using magic formulas. The reason is just simple as that: if you can think and things get out of hand, you’ll find a way to make everything gets back to normal. If you can’t, and things get really out of control, you’ll never make it back.
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