Continuing Education: What You can Learn by Teaching Others (Practice‪)‬

When Frank Harmon, FAIA, was a student at the Architectural Association in London, the school was staffed entirely by practicing architects. They were youngish, enthusiastic, and idealistic, and shared cups of coffee with him as easily as ideas. One professor in particular, Kenneth Frampton, now at Columbia University, made an impression. "Although he was very learned and scholarly, he treated us students like we were his equals and listened to us like we listened to him," Harmon says. "You immediately realized you could go out and do something, because these people were human." It wasn't until Harmon graduated and decided to follow in his mentors' footsteps that he understood the true nature of the teacher-student relationship. For 21 years he has taught architecture at North Carolina State University while building a thriving practice in Raleigh, N.C. "I didn't realize until later," Harmon says, "that inspiration is a two-way street."