Those who can do, those who can't...........

Pete Davis & John Nesbitt running one of their 'View Camera Workshops'.

There is an old saying - not one that I ever really subscribed to however, that 'those who can do, those who can't teach'. (I prefer the contemporary and more appropriate version, 'those that can do, those that can't do anything work in H.R.'). I have been privileged to teach with some great people over the years, fine, world-leading photographers and other artists, who also had the ability and total unselfishness to pass on their knowledge and enthuse others. However, I'm afraid to say that there are still a few individuals who manage to hold down teaching and lecturing jobs while never having any kind of professional career or credibility.

Students should be enthused by their tutors.  While an academic knowledge of your subject, teaching credentials and  good research abilities are all important, the one thing that will give you credibility in a teaching situation is that the students see that you practice what you preach. In art schools that are part of universities these days there is an obligation to continue your practice at a high, international level as this can bring financial rewards for the university. With budgets being squeezed, this extra revenue can prove very useful and of course, benefits the students in addition providing support for lecturers' practice. Having a current and probably an internationally recognised practice in addition to high academic qualifications (M.A. minimum, Ph.D preferred), has now become the norm.

For most of course, apart from the pressure to produce work within university deadlines and having to fit it all in between a full teaching load, it is seen as part and parcel of a creative person's life. Sadly, there are still a few people involved in teaching who don't practice what they preach and even worse, seem to resent those who do. Unfortunately they are inclined to bluff their way through which just insults the intelligence of students.

I once did a bit of part-time teaching on a photography course at a regional college. The course leader had been a mediocre photographic technician and had obviously been way over-promoted and actually had no professional practice to speak of. He was clearly intimidated by some of the part-timers who were brought in and then tried to show off to students whilst in reality doing nothing himself.

He was talking to a group of students one day about how perfect his negatives were, (he didn't show them of course) and how he never needed to manipulate them in any way. "If I have to burn and dodge" he declared pompously, "I consider that I have failed". One of the more astute students then piped up and said "You must have failed very often then because we have never seen a print you have made and have never seen you in the darkroom". It was true. I worked on that course for about five years and never once saw him in the darkroom or demonstrate anything to students. You will always get caught out if you try to bluff!

Pete Davis & John Nesbitt running one of their 'View Camera Workshops'

It's a strange quirk of institutions that many of these individuals, unable to lead students by inspiration or example, end up being promoted to supervisory or pseudo managerial roles. I was greeted by a Dean of a university art school a few years ago at the private view of an exhibition who, like the individual above was a failed teacher and practitioner who had 'gravitated upstairs'. The conversation went something like this.........

“Good evening Pete, what have you been up to over the summer?” “Oh I have been quite busy. I successfully completed my Ph.D, made the final edit for a book to be published by a well-known international publisher, was awarded a European research grant and began a new body of work”. “Oh!” The Dean looked shocked.  “Are you telling me that you still take photographs?” “Yes of course I do”. The dean looked down his nose at me with a mixture of pity and utter contempt. Then puffed out his chest and declared proudly, “I haven’t made anything for fifteen years you know, I do more important things now”.

Happily, the character above was 'eased out' some time later but the person who never made a print is still in post, twenty five years on, acting in exactly the same way towards his staff and students. Never mind, he must be getting close to retirement soon so there is hope on the horizon............!

Update: The plonker above who never made a print was finally 'eased out' of his post before his due retirement time. He had become so unpopular in the college where he worked  because of his arrogance and incompetence in that he finally 'got the message' and took 'early retirement'.