There's a saying that those who respect the law and love sausages should not watch either one being made.  The same can be said of academic exercises.

Sometimes I think that what we do in this business is smoke and mirrors.  We force students through a gauntlet of artificial obstacles, forgetting that we are trying to prepare them for real life.  When real life finally smacks us in the face, we ignore it, focusing instead on the artifice. We believe our own illusions--that's ironic.

Not always, of course.  Not often, even.  Just sometimes.

Most of the time, we emerge from our theoretical clouds and touch base with harsh reality. A past valedictorian of ours told us of a conversation he had with Bobby Guevarra, one of our legendary theology teachers.  Bobby Guev, as he is fondly called, teaches Theology of Liberation.  It's a course littered with buzzwords like "preferential option for the poor" and "social justice."  This valedictorian came from a very poor family.  His father was ill.  To buy his father's medicine, he worked after school, selling bowl upon bowl of lugaw, to afford a single tablet.  In a moment of darkness, Bobby Guev approached him asking, "Are you all right?"  He told Bobby of his situation and asked what possible relevance Theo of Lib had to his life.  In so many words, Bobby said, "You're already living it out."

And I guess that's what separates those who can truly teach from those who can just elocute.  A real teacher recognizes that education serves reality, that we don't force reality into our neat, pre-made boxes. Rather we use what we teach to help our students process and confront the realities that surround them.