Association with my pupils has kept me young in my work. Criticism of their work has kept my own point of view clear.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Critics at their best are independent voices; people take seriously their responsibility to see as many things as they can see, put them in the widest possible perspective, educate their readers. I really do think of myself as a teacher.
I feel that is more important than my work, the influence I have on my students.
I have maintained a passionate interest in education, which leads me occasionally to make foolish and ill-considered remarks alleging that not everything is well in our schools.
My seventeen years of teaching inform my sense of audience in every line I write.
I've learned not to attach personal feelings to critics who review your work. It's their opinions, their perceptions - it's a very subjective thing, and you can be hurt.
When ideas are young and vulnerable, criticism can be lethal.
If you think about it, critics are an unnecessary life-form on the planet Earth, and here's why: because it's a job without credentials. You don't have to go to school.
It is part of the work of education to have substantive relationships with your students.
When you're young, you're always concerned about how you're being seen and how you're being criticized.
Study is the bane of childhood, the oil of youth, the indulgence of adulthood, and a restorative in old age.