It™s become the new mantra of teaching, so much so that I sometimes wonder if the primary requirement of an aspiring teacher is that they have ˜a passion for their subject™, to which the one and only acceptable answer has to be, ˜Oh, yes, I™m just sooo passionate about my subject!™

I bet there are lots of teachers and trainers who, in the darkest and innermost recesses of their truth, wonder such unspeakable things as ˜Do I actually give a monkey™s about quadratic equations, or even Shakespeare™s attitude to gender equality?™ Or “ even more unspeakable, if not almost unthinkable “ ˜is passion either a desirable or even necessary measure or antecedent for good teaching?™ There, I™ve said it!

And I say quite a bit more on the subject in my two books, The Significance Delusion and Sweet Distress: how our love affair with feelings has fuelled the mental health crisis (and what we can do about it)

In the latter, I look at evidence that suggests that too much emoting can be very bad for our mental health. Emotional and zealous over-commitment to ideas, causes and philosophies can encourage narrow, silo-thinking which is bad for mental health, and the health of society as a whole.

Perhaps, just sometimes transmitting knowledge, stripped of overly emotional filtering, is the best form of teaching. And how liberating might that be for many teachers? I feel quite passionately about the possibility in fact.