February 26, 2026
Paywalls, punchlines, and pedagogy
Those who can, teach history
Paywalls melt, punchlines fly: the comments school the story
TLDR: A tribute to legendary teacher Malcolm Oxley praises imaginative, irreverent history lessons that stick for life. The comments ignite over paywalls (saved by an archive link), a cheeky twist on “those who can,” and pleas for non‑Western resources—underscoring how great teachers inspire, and why access to learning still matters.
A wistful tribute to legendary history teacher Malcolm Oxley—big on showmanship, irreverence, and the kind of imagination that “brings the dead to life”—sent the comment section straight into class in session mode. Readers nodded at the idea that great history is part performance, part detective work, and all heart.
Then the room split. One wag shot back, “Those who can, make history,” while another dropped the classic “those who can’t, teach” line—only to get roasted with “Are you trying to teach me something?” It was equal parts staff room banter and open mic night. Meanwhile, a very real drama unfolded around a paywalled article. A history teacher begged for an archive, and a hero delivered the link, earning instant extra credit.
Beyond the jokes, a serious thread emerged: a plea for world history that isn’t just Western greatest hits. “What resources would you recommend for learning world history…including the non‑Western world?” asked one reader, capturing the crowd’s hunger for broader storytelling. The vibe: nostalgia for transformative teachers, side‑eye at gatekeeping, and a reminder that the best lessons mix skepticism, humor, and a dare—“prove me wrong”—until the past feels alive again.
Key Points
- •A memorial for History teacher Malcolm Oxley drew about 300 former pupils who credited his sixth-form teaching with lasting impact.
- •An anecdote of Oxley challenging students to disprove a pseudo-cosmology illustrates skepticism and inquiry as teaching tools.
- •The article argues History is the “subject of subjects,” requiring imaginative reconstruction of past worlds from evidence.
- •Qualities of great History teaching include love of subject, showmanship, enthusiasm, skepticism, contrarianism, humor, historiographical mastery, and irreverence.
- •Great teachers cultivate memorable personas and use quirks and anecdotes to highlight human foibles and the complexity of the past.