For effective teachers, there is no such thing as a small class

PTS

Hi,
I was able to drive more than 250 km round trip from Chicago to visist Yerkes Observatory.
Apart from the 40-inch refractor, I witnessed many "antique" instrument that demonstrated the hard work of the great astronomers.
However, the most eye-catching exhibit there is a simple typed page, carefully placed on a desk, which reads:

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Teaching

In 1947, a professor at the University of Chicago, Dr. Chandrasekhar, was scheduled to teach an advanced seminar in astrophysics.  At the time he was living in Wisconsin, doing research at the Yerkes astronomical observatory.  He planned to commute twice a week for the class, even though it waould be held during the harsh winter months.
Registration for the seminar, however, fell far below expectation.  Only two students signed up for the class.  People expected Dr. Chandrasekhar to cancel, lest he wast his time  But for the sake of the two students, he taught the class, commuting 200 miles round trip through back county roads in the dead of winter.
His students, Chen Ning Yang and Tsung Dao Lee, did their homework.  Ten years later, in 1957, they both won the Nobel prize for physics. So did Dr. Chandrasekhar in 1983.
For effective teachers, there is no such thing as a small class.