Edmund W. Gordon - Teachers Make a Difference - W.E.B. Du Bois, Alain Locke & Miss Perkins

The speaker reflects on influential teachers in their life, starting with Miss Perkins, their first-grade teacher, who provided comfort during childhood. They then discuss their relationship with W.E.B. Du Bois, who significantly shaped their scholarly approach by emphasizing context and meaning. The speaker describes Du Bois as a scholar of scholarship, influencing their own work to reconceptualize existing ideas. Finally, the speaker recounts how A. Locke helped them recover academically after being dismissed from Howard University, highlighting the mentorship and guidance received from both Du Bois and Locke.

What was the most memorable aspect of Miss Perkins for the narrator?

• Her teaching style

• Her allowing the narrator to hold her hand

• Her strict discipline

• Her storytelling ability

How did W.E.B. Du Bois influence the narrator's approach to knowledge?

• By promoting rote memorization

• By encouraging experimental methods

• By emphasizing the importance of context and meaning

• By focusing on empirical research

What did Du Bois prioritize in his discussions and lectures?

• The latest scientific discoveries

• Theoretical physics

• The origins and meanings of things

• Mathematical equations

What type of scholar did the narrator become after their interactions with Du Bois?

• A scholar of scholarship

• A parasitic scholar

• An empirical researcher

• A theoretical physicist

How did the narrator describe their scholarly work?

• As focused on empirical data

• As purely theoretical

• As drawing on the work of others

• As original and groundbreaking

What was Alain Locke's role in the narrator's academic journey?

• He was a rival scholar

• He discouraged the narrator from pursuing higher education

• He helped the narrator recover academically

• He was a distant mentor

What was the nature of the relationship between Du Bois and Locke?

• They were indifferent to each other

• They had a humorous competition

• They were close friends

• They were academic rivals