The Liberal

Education Lifelong Pursuit For 'Professor Bernie'

Professor offers up trade secrets

Mitchell Brown
Staff Writer

Like any lifelong lover of literature, Bernie Gaidosch has more than a few stories of his own to share.

For instance, there was that one time a student swore at him in front of the class, claiming it was the professor's fault he failed an assignment.

Or the young woman who, when asked to summarize her essay in her own words, burst into tears and confessed she had been faking her way through college.

Or the dozens of students who have broken down in his office, frustrated because they couldn't get anything higher than Cs and Ds in any of their subjects.

"In 26 years of teaching, I can say this: Nothing has changed," Mr. Gaidosch said.

"They still ask the same questions. Students are floundering. They were floundering then and they're probably floundering more now."

It's a feeling "Professor Bernie", as he likes to be called, can understand.

Born in Austria in 1948, his family moved to Winnipeg's north end when he was three. Even within the multi-ethnic neighbourhood in which he grew up, he was made to feel like an outsider because of his struggle with the English language.

"I mean, as a kid it was easy to be ridiculed," he said. "So I would watch television, read comics and read whatever I could get my hands on."

After a few years of "kicking around and living life," his love of reading led him to university at age 23 and, in a sense, he has never really left.

After teaching English composition at the University of Winnipeg for a few years, he came east to study and teach at York University in 1979, eventually ending up at George Brown College in 1986.

"For three years, I had four classes a week (at George Brown) teaching Intro Composition," he said.

"Then I taught the writing workshop at York from 1 to 5 p.m. I grabbed a quick bite and, by 7 p.m., I had to be out at Mississauga Erin Mills Parkway to teach a night course from 7 to 10 p.m ... I was in class literally for 12 hours a day and marking on top of that. I did that for three years and then I said, 'whoa.'"

It was during that busy time in his career when he started to look for ways to teach students the writing skills they needed to succeed in his course.

For instance, he would explain to students an essay is simply an answer to a question and then he would start asking them questions about their favourite movies and why they like them.

Or, to illustrate the need for a conclusion in an essay, he would talk to the students about TV courtroom dramas and how the lawyers wrapped up their arguments at the end.

"People got it," he said. "They said right away, 'Why didn't we know this in high school? How come it's so clear now?'"

Through trial and error, he learned new ways of teaching writing skills to his students, and he started putting those methods together as classroom aids.

He credits his wife, Maureen, for encouraging him to seek out a larger classroom to share his ideas.

He self-published his first book, The Professor's Secrets: Breaking the Silence -- How to Write Essays and Term Papers, last year. His second, How to Get Top Marks on Tests and Exams, came out just last month.

"I know the publisher route and I know how that works," he said, explaining why he decided to self-publish both books. "Publishers are really well-intentioned, but it's 999 books and then yours. Nobody has a vested interest in this publication as much as I do."

Aside from some help from friends, not to mention the love and encouragement of his family, this is still pretty much a one-man show for Prof. Gaidosch.

The basement office in his Richmond Hill home contains a huge wall calendar detailing his various media appearances and meetings, all geared toward getting his name out there and promoting the studying methods in his book.

So far, his efforts are paying off.

He has appeared in several newspapers and on radio call-in shows discussing the state of education and he has just inked a deal with a major radio network in which he's recording a series of three-minute segments on building better study habits.

"I'm coming at this from the perpsective of someone who has taught almost 30 years," he said.

"I've been through this from both sides of the fence. I've made the mistakes myself, I've learned through trial and error, and I'm saying why do students have to go through this?"

You certainly can't fault him for striking while the iron is hot. Pick up any newspaper and you'll find the state of our childrens' reading and writing skills is something concerning a great deal of people.

But Prof. Gaidosch balks at suggestions his timing is anything more than coincidence.

"I didn't really orchestrate that," he said. "It just happened. There was no master plan."

Still, given his obvious passion for teaching and the current political climate, it's not hard to see him parlaying his books into a lasting "Professor Bernie" gig -- someone like Dr. Phil or Dr. Ruth, but focused more on helping people with their academic problems.

"I'd like for this to be my career," he said. "I'd like to bring the word to as many people as I can, because kids don't know how to write and, if this book can help just one kid get a D instead of an F and not fail, then that's fantastic."

To find out more about Bernie Gaidosch's books, visit him online at www.profsecrets.com or call 1-877-439-3999.

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