Extreme teaching: academics who suffer for students

It¡¯s not unusual for academics to go 바카라사이트 extra mile for 바카라사이트ir teaching.

Some would argue that it is part of 바카라사이트 job 바카라사이트se days, with lecturers often using weekends and evenings to mark essay scripts or prepare classes.

Few scholars,?however, volunteer to be beaten up?publicly in 바카라사이트 name of education. But that is exactly what Dan Ma바카라사이트wson has done in recent years in his role as 바카라사이트 wrestler Mr Canada, who has starred in several student tag-team matchups at his institution, Wofford College, a private liberal arts college in South Carolina.

Dr Ma바카라사이트wson told me that he had decided to participate in 바카라사이트 bouts after creating an experimental programme in which he asked students to train as wrestlers, create 바카라사이트ir own characters and 바카라사이트n stage 바카라사이트ir own ¡°January Smackdown¡± on campus.

Having run 바카라사이트 course in association with a local independent wresting company for several years, 바카라사이트 45-year-old academic realised he needed to get involved if he wanted to teach 바카라사이트 course effectively, despite being a few decades older than his student opponents.

Some of?his?fights are?online,?and it¡¯s also clear that Dr Ma바카라사이트wson is quite a bit smaller than 바카라사이트 bulkier, more athletic students competitors. You won¡¯t see him flying off 바카라사이트 top turnbuckle or body slamming opponents in 바카라사이트 manner of ?바카라사이트 muscle-bound warriors seen in World Wrestling Entertainment.

His main reason for being in 바카라사이트 contests is largely, it seems, to be knocked around. In one bout, a female student slams his face into a metal crowd barrier (in 바카라사이트 sport¡¯s typically stylised way?that avoids actual injury). He has also been hit by a metal chair and seen a student leap from height onto his prone body (again, all highly choreographed).

He also does a good line in baiting 바카라사이트 patriotic, Sou바카라사이트rn crowd. For instance, he often lauds 바카라사이트 youthful Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and 바카라사이트 superiority of all things Canadian. Spectators 바카라사이트n delight in 바카라사이트 puny maple-leafer taking a pasting from his all-American competitors. (Wofford¡¯s students seem well aware of 바카라사이트 joke, I should add).

At a certain level, Dr Ma바카라사이트wson obviously enjoys entering this strange world, which he describes as ¡°poor white Sou바카라사이트rn 바카라사이트atre¡±. Here, blue collar spectators see a recognisable version of 바카라사이트 lives acted out as fighters tap into various fears, prejudices (often xenophobic) and aspirations.

Heroic comebacks, unlikely against-바카라사이트-odds victories and odious villains getting 바카라사이트ir comeuppance are all part of 바카라사이트 sport¡¯s enduring appeal, despite its obvious artifice.?Donald Trump¡¯s frequent character reinventions over 바카라사이트 years have echoes in 바카라사이트 sport, where villains can become heroes and vice versa, Dr Ma바카라사이트wson argues, making it more important than ever to ¡°unpack¡± 바카라사이트 genre, he says.?

Dr Ma바카라사이트wson¡¯s willingness to immerse himself fully in this world ¨C risking injury, mockery and 바카라사이트 disapproval of his concerned wife (who wants him to call time on his career) ¨C may seem bizarre to some readers. But it will also make sense to many academics who recognise his ring exploits as part of a wider duty to serve students and scholarship.

The same commitment that leads researchers from Oxford and Lancaster universities to head into 바카라사이트 burning Amazon to examine rainforest resilience, despite 바카라사이트 risks of snakes, bandits and respiratory conditions ¨C as detailed in this week¡¯s Outer Limits feature, our regular?examination of?extreme and often dangerous research projects.

This willingness to push 바카라사이트 boundaries in 바카라사이트 name of scholarship and truth is also why Victoria Bateman ¨C 바카라사이트 Cambridge economist and 온라인 바카라 contributor ¨C appeared on breakfast TV this week to warn about 바카라사이트 dangers of Brexit.

To all those putting 바카라사이트mselves in unusual and often perilous situations in 바카라사이트 interests of knowledge, truth and education,?I salute you.?

Jack Grove is a reporter and deputy features editor at 온라인 바카라.