Here’s a link to a thought-provoking article in the New York Times in which David Brooks argues that “emotion is not the opposite of reason; it’s essential to reason,” and makes the claim that an emotional connection between student and teacher is an essential component of learning. The article is interesting to me on three levels: (1) What is the required level of emotional connection? (2) Is that emotional connection at odds with “being professional”? (3) What are the implications for online learning, which by its nature adds an additional layer of separation between teacher and student?