An Open Letter to Penn State Education Students

By Bernard Badiali

Editor's Note: The essay below is an edited version of a letter Bernard Badiali, an associate education professor at Pennsylvania State University, shared with his students four days after a former assistant football coach at the university was arrested and charged with child sexual abuse.

Dear Colleagues,

One message we come to understand as we mature and grow into the teaching profession is that “life is for learning.” The message can be phrased many different ways; we say “lifelong learning” or “learning from your experience” or “becoming a reflective practitioner.” Our whole tradition of reflection in your preparation program is essentially that we should try to think deeply about what our observations and experiences really mean. Through our classes and activities in the College of Education, we are always urging you to look beneath the surface, try to make sense of what is going on, and use that knowledge to inform the way we act and think in the future. This way of seeing the world implies that we must give extra effort to understanding human nature as well as human actions. It is not an easy habit to maintain, but it is a habit of mind that is essential if you intend to...