ABSTRACT
In the larger society, the world beyond academic settings, everyday folk are concerned with the issue of purpose. They want to have a clearer understanding of life, of what gives life meaning. In professional settings, teachers, especially those of us who work at the college and university level, rarely discuss our sense of purpose. We rarely talk about how we see our role as teachers. To a grave extent, my understanding of a teacher's role was defined by knowledge received from the teachers I had observed as a student. Teachers seemed to fall into three categories: those who saw teaching as an easy job with long vacations, those who saw teaching as solely about the transmitting of information and knowledge that could be easily measured, and finally those who were committed to expanding the intelligence of their students—to helping students learn more. It was this third category of teachers who influenced me the most, and who continue to influence and inspire me.
