In this quick hits interview, dean of masters in classical education and professor of education Daniel Coupland talks swords, teaching, and Kid Rock.

What are some amusing teaching moments you’ve had in your career?

As a Spanish high school teacher, I once recreated the running of the bulls in the halls of my high school.

Do you have any advice you would give to aspiring teachers?

Don’t judge teaching solely on the first year, because the first year of teaching is always going to be the hardest.

Did you have any inspiring teachers in your past?

I know it sounds crazy, but two teachers that inspired me were Mr. Keating from Dead Poets Society, and – crazy as it may seem – one of the reasons why I became a professor was that I love Indiana Jones. 

If you were to try to put it in one sentence, how does a good teacher teach?

I would say that the best teachers have a love of subject and a love of the students as well. So you really can’t teach well if you lack one of those.

What is your favorite childrens’ book?

“Wind in the Willows” is my absolute favorite – as I tell students, there may not be a better treatise on friendship in the English language than the “Wind in the Willows.” 

Who is your favorite character?

In the Chronicles of Narnia, King Peter is always a character that I looked up to. Then there’s another character called Puddleglum, a character who I had great affinity for. 

What do you like about fairy tales?

The best fairy tales can actually create that other-world experience. When we come back to our world, we begin to notice the things around us that we’ve kind of taken for granted.

What magical item or a power do you think you would best love to have?

Well, Tolkien and Lewis play into this natural desire to have a sword – weapons and swords and other things that had a long tradition and even had names. So I’m kind of drawn to that, but I think it’s really hard to beat the ability to fly.

What have you traveled?

I lived in C.S. Lewis’s house for three weeks in 2016. I was able to live there and study there, and I stayed in Joy’s room.

What was going to high school with Kid Rock like?

In my senior year of high school there was this kid in my drama class, Bob Ritchie. He was a little bit quiet, but I got to know him during class. I didn’t have my own car, and he drove a white convertible Mustang, so I think he took pity on me and gave me a ride home once in a while. When we graduated, I lost track of him. 

After two years of teaching, I decided to take some graduate classes. I ran into a woman who graduated from high school with me and she said, “Hey, did you hear about Bob?” 

“You mean Bob Ritchie? No.”

“Have you heard of this guy named Kid Rock?”

What final advice would you recommend to aspiring teachers?

What makes a good teacher is what makes a good student. A curious mind, the ability and the willingness and the longing to pursue an answer for answers.