In the classroom, Tessier rejects rigid hierarchies in favor of conversation, improvisation and trust — often sitting at the same level as his students and inviting them to wrestle openly with ideas rather than arrive at tidy conclusions.
“I want them to be free thinkers. My conservative students are very comfortable with me,” Tessier said. “I encourage them; some of them have conservative views. I welcome those, and we talk about them.”
Although it’s been decades since Tessier was the age of his students, he sees the countercultural spirit in them.
“I see some of the best aspects of the highest ideals we did have in the ’60s about peace and love,” Tessier said. “They have an urge, just like we did with the counterculture, to think about themselves as a community rather than individuals.”
