Teaching: Why Experience Matters

Bill Browder in Moscow 

Bill Browder is an extremely successful entrepreneur that made his fortune in Russia and wrote a good book about it – Red Notice. (You can read my review of it here.)

TS sent me this clip of him addressing a class of Russian Studies majors at Oxford. Pay attention to the content of his statements, especially when he is answering questions. These are thoughts that have been developed and defined by experience. They are not the sort of pronouncements made by pundits whose knowledge of their subject matter comes from secondary sources.

Also note the way he responds to some of the comments and questions that could be dismissed as naïve. Note the humility of his phrasing and the generosity of his willingness to respect his students’ preexisting ideas and impressions.

Then ask yourself: How common is this today in academia? How often do college and graduate students have the opportunity to learn from people that have (what they like to call) “lived experience” in the subject matter they teach?

Getting a degree in a good private college in the US will put a student in serious debt. Like $100,000 to $200,000. Wouldn’t you feel better about spending that kind of money if you knew you were getting this level of wisdom?

Click here.