Classroom Virtuoso

Book excerpt: Did you ever have a teacher you couldn't forget? Someone who helped shape your knowledge and values, and so remains an indelible part of you? For more than thirty-five years, Victor L. Cahn has been such an influential figure. As secondary school "master" at Mercersburg, Pomfret, and Phillips Exeter, and as professor of English at Bowdoin and Skidmore, he has instructed, entertained, counseled, and inspired thousands of students, who have reciprocated by granting him their respect and affection. With the same wit and perception that have made his classes so memorable, and from his singular perspective as student, scholar, playwright, actor, and musician, Professor Cahn offers fascinating insights about learning of all kinds. Equally delightful are the candid reflections on his career, unabashed confessions that will touch anyone who has ever wondered about those rare individuals who bring esteem to the title "teacher."