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Of course you don't know! You don't know because only I know. If you knew and I didn't know, then you'd be teaching me instead of me teaching you--and for a student to be teaching his teacher is presumptuous and rude. Do I make myself clear?
— Mr. Turkentine
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
Mr. Turkentine turns a difference in knowledge into a defence of his own authority. A student knowing more is treated as bad manners rather than a chance to learn. The circling argument makes the teacher’s position depend on keeping the roles permanently unequal.
Context reviewed