"Still today, I cannot cross the threshold of a teaching institution without physical symptoms, in my chest and my stomach, of discomfort or anxiety. And yet I have never left school"
- Jacques Derrida
About this Quote
Jacques Derrida's quote speaks with the long lasting effect of his instructional experience. Regardless of having left school, he still experiences physical signs of discomfort and stress and anxiety when he gets in a teaching institution. This recommends that his academic experience was not a positive one, and that the trauma of it has stayed with him even after he has actually left. It is a suggestion of the lasting impact of our academic experiences, and how they can form our lives long after we have left the classroom. It also speaks with the value of developing a positive knowing environment for students, as the impacts of an unfavorable experience can be lasting.