A big shout-out and welcome to new blogger Gary McDuda, otherwise known as Gary McCaman, Grace Brethren missionary to Argentina.
You can catch McDuda’s blog here, and here’s how he started (thanks Pharaoh, for the heads-up!):
Starting a BLOG is probably the singularly biggest mistake of my life. I mean, if I write what I really think, somebody might not like me! But I enjoy reading other people’s blogs and commenting (albeit occasionally).
So, you ask, “Why Gary McDuda”? I’m glad you asked.
I love to teach, and especially teaching the Bible, but not just to give facts. I want people to think and learn for themselves. I try to teach for life change. I try never to tell someone something that they can learn or figure out for themselves. So I ask a lot of questions. Actually, that’s about all I do. I usually answer a question with another question. Drives people nuts. I don’t care. If I just give them the answer, they don’t really learn anything. And they don’t think. See The Role of Questions.
John Milton Gregory in his book The Seven Laws of Teaching says:
The true function of the teacher is to create the most favorable conditions for self-learning…True teaching, then, is not that which GIVES knowledge, but that which stimulates pupils to GAIN it. One might say that he teaches BEST who teaches LEAST (chapt 6)
The above quote is also found in a great little book on teaching by Howard Hendricks Teaching to Change Lives.
In Spanish, when someone has a question, they often say “Quiero que me saques una duda”. Which means literally means “I want you to remove a doubt from me.” Or, for you dynamic equivalence fans, “I have a question.” Ha! If they only knew!! (You think have questions now, wait till I get done with you!)
I usually tell them “I don’t answer questions, I just ask them” and they give me this quizzical look, because, after all, aren’t teachers supposed to teach?
¡Yo no saco dudas, las siembro! Which means “I don’t remove dudas, I sow them!”
Anyhow, that’s how I became known as Gary McDuda.
Aren’t you glad you asked?
