What’s my job as a professor?
Give me a minute to explain.
My job, as a professor, is to hold a mirror up to myself and my students, asking each one of us to be honest about our beliefs.
We may not agree with each other. But to appreciate others’ points of view, without necessarily surrendering ours, is important.
My responsibility in the university is not to change students. My job is to make sure they have had the opportunity to consider all sides of an issue before taking upon themselves the responsibility to own their belief.
I penned a brief poem titled “Witness” to explain my role in this life. I wrote:
Witness, I am, to my sphere
Of influence, Small, finite, But a stone
In the shoe, Making others, Pay attention
Not to the stone, Not to the aggravation, But to Another
Way of walking, A sense that, The stone
Is a witness.
Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.
Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.
“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.
Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.
Thanks, Mark. I just received evaluations from the doctoral cohort I completed teaching on Personality Development at LBC. One of my students a 50 something pastor in the UK, told me I was more than a professor but a “father” to the class. Your stone metaphor rings true, my Brother.