kevinwhector

I teach theology and philosophy of religions at UChicago.

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

I'm completely risk averse. I don't want to make people mad or, worse, say something that hurts them. I'm obsessive. I don't like change.

So why am I on Twitter? Because a trusted friend told me that it's actually a great place to build and maintain community. I hope he's right!

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@MatthewSitman Well, I used to go out in a Mustang. 302 Mach One in green.

[john milbank @johnmilbank3]

In fact all rocks are also rocking.

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@catjonathantran Hooray for Duke!

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@fitchest Definitely not (a). Yikes. Forgive me for being blunt, but I wouldn’t trust any Christian who took that as their goal. (That’s distinct from trying to write a book that ordinary folks might find helpful.) But I don’t think either of these is the real goal!

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@_kungfuchang Bebop just around the corner! 😁

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@bartonkyle Delayed clarification of the year nominee! 😁

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@FellipeDoVale1 Wow—wonderful news! Congratulations!

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@McKinleyAn Thank you so much for these kind words!

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@MatthewSitman I rarely see someone who matches my level of pettiness. Thanks for sharing this! 😁

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@jwilson1812two I’m a huge fan of my Ironclad Box Handler gloves. They’re durable, comfortable, and provide spiderman-like grip. I use them for everything—not just helping people move!

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@RaymondBonwell This is a really kind comment, and it’s also perceptive: I had been wondering whether this sort of approach needs to be separated out from the Connector, since I’ve seen a lot of great teachers who I’d characterize as Encouragers!

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

Types of Good Teacher (a non-exhaustive list):

1. The Enthusiast: this is the kind of teacher who gets really excited about ideas--in books, in class discussion, in their minds, wherever. Examples include Meghan Sullivan, Jonathan Tran, and Stanley Hauerwas.

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@NotDerekEstes Ooh, I *love* the idea that you could identify your colleagues as epitomizing some of these types…and I really, really love the fact that you all appreciate these different approaches to your shared project!

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@ulrichlehner which then helped me think differently (and a bit more positively) about my own.

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@ulrichlehner Thanks so much! I started thinking about this recently because I was trying to come to terms with the discrepancy between my teaching persona and that of my favorite teachers. And that got me to thinking about lots of great teachers I’ve known and their different personas…

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@SamObiWon I think that’s where I am, too! I’m ultimately an enthusiast, though, because I find explanations so exciting. 😁

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@womeninchurch Thank you! It’s sort of surprising to hear that you and @MattThiessenNT identified with this. Makes me feel a little better about it! 😁

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

@AOHSUsometimesY HA! Nice! My kind of rpg. 😁

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

My favorite teachers have almost always been Disciplinarians. I've always wanted to be a Disciplinarian. But at the end of the day, I'm more of an Enthusiast than anything else, so I'm learning to be okay with that.

[kevinwhector @kevinwhector]

I don't think someone can be a really good teacher unless they're pretty good at all of these things. This is true of each of my examples. But my hunch is that most good teachers are especially "at home" with one of them, and that this serves as their primary teaching persona.