"The beginning of 1856 found me teaching in the family of a planter named Bryan, residing in Prince George County, Md., some fifteen or twenty miles from Washington"
- Simon Newcomb
About this Quote
The quote is a personal reflection by Simon Newcomb, a noted Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician, stating a duration of his early life. In this passage, Newcomb locates himself geographically and occupationally at the start of 1856. He discusses his position as a teacher within the home of a planter called Bryan in Prince George County, Maryland, which lies reasonably near Washington, D.C., suggesting ease of access to the capital and the intellectual currents of the time.
The phrase "The start of 1856 discovered me" indicates a specific moment in Newcomb's life journey, and suggests a narrative focused on his individual and expert development. Mentor in the mid-19th century, specifically within a planter's household, signifies an engagement with the educational norms and social structures of the period. It may indicate that Newcomb was shaping or influencing young minds within a Southern, agrarian context shortly before the American Civil War. This situational context offers insight into the environments where Newcomb honed his skills and intellectual pursuits.
Additionally, residing in Prince George County, near the political heart of the United States, may have managed Newcomb access to varied cultural and scholarly impacts of the time, potentially affecting his later contributions to astronomy and mathematics. This proximity to Washington might symbolize Newcomb's alignment with future-oriented, dynamic environments conducive to intellectual development.
This quote is likewise reflective of a historical period when education and learning were becoming more systematized within American society, potentially meaning the wider change and democratization of understanding throughout that age. As an educator in a planter's family, Newcomb was partaking in the diffusion of understanding, which was foundational for his later accomplishments. In sum, the quote provides a photo of Newcomb's early professional life and locates his personal narrative within wider historic, social, and geographic contexts.
"Learning and teaching should not stand on opposite banks and just watch the river flow by; instead, they should embark together on a journey down the water. Through an active, reciprocal exchange, teaching can strengthen learning how to learn"
"Teaching is the only major occupation of man for which we have not yet developed tools that make an average person capable of competence and performance. In teaching we rely on the "naturals," the ones who somehow know how to teach"