Most of the student voices you may have read in 1999's eight issues of HLT spoke of recent learning experiences. This issue carries voices that are recalling what happened 20 or more years back. These voices reflect on the very opposite of humanistic teaching, they are reflecting on on cold pedagogy or even black pedagogy. They make the case for humanistic, person-centred teaching maybe even more powerfully than some of the glowing voices from last year's issues. There is no suggestion that cold pedagogy and black pedagogy are a thing of the past. Sadly they will always be with us.

Raffaella writes:

" She was my teacher of German when I was at school. The first impression we all got about her was that of a frigid, detached person and this feeling haunted us all year long. When we had our lesson with her there seemed to be in the air an atmosphere of uneasiness and fear. The situation was not unbearable but we, as students, didn't feel relaxed when she was in class; she behaved in a kind, nice way, she was a perfect well-prepared teacher but , but still she wasn't tuned in with our minds.

Anyway, that Summer we went to Austria to improve the language and on the occasion she was our group leader. In those three weeks spent together we got to know a totally different person, a caring sweet and tender person. I realised that the way she behaved in the class, the reason why she was so cold and detached was simply shyness and the fear that showing her feeling to a group of students would have meant to get easily hurt and disillusioned. Thanks to that holiday we were able to destroy that wall of incomprehension which had left us so far apart.

Unfortunately we got to know her too late, as the following year she left the school. It was only then we realised how rich and humane a person she was.

Maybe it's true you only fully appreciate things once they've gone.

Irene writes:

When I was a pupil at elementary school, I had a teacher that was a fanatic Catholic and every year, during the months of May and June, used to set up a sort of altar in the classroom.
Everyday she imposed us to sit and pray after her for more than half an hour. I remember that I couldn't understand the meaning of the prayers ( as I was only six years old) nor why I should repeat them.
One day I was really bored and I asked her if it was possible to do something else, instead.
Her reaction was unexpected for me: she got very angry, punished me by slapping my hands and told me coarse things in front of the class.
From then on she started to treat me in a rather cold way.
That episode affected a lot my future relationship with teachers.

Ms Viela writes:

1st day of school ( 3rd Scientific Lyceum) 1st class: maths
The new teacher enters our classroom. She is considered one of the most severe teachers of the school.
Deep silence.
She starts immediately calling the roll without looking at any of us.
Students seem to be afraid of saying a simple "yes" - there is a sense of anguish all over the
classroom. Quickly she arrives at the end of the list. Mine is the last surname: she shouts it: "Viela!"
My heart suddenly stops bumping:
" Do you mind coming to the blackboard?"
I didn't expect that second utterance: I feel like a jelly but I stand up and go there.
We look at each other for a very, very, short second - it seems to me an everlasting second.
She asks me some questions. I can answer quite well, even if in a stammering way. Eventually she says: " All right, you can go back, thank you."
My classmates look at me enviously: I had defied my fear.