“It’s not me who needs this, it’s you!” (teachers’ misconceptions)
A typical phrase from our wonderful teachers, isn’t it?!
Not from all of them, but certainly from a good half. That half forgets why they’re standing at the board. They think they already know it. Like, I already know this, but you don’t, so learn it.
To understand whether this is a teacher’s misconception, let’s understand what the teaching process actually is.
Why do many choose to teach (not necessarily in schools or educational institutions)?!
What happens when a person decides to teach others?!
What goals does he set for himself?!
Why?!
When deciding to take up the path of teaching, we must understand that when teaching others, we must create an atmosphere in which both teacher and student are absolutely equal.
If you believe you need to teach in such a way that everyone around you obeys you, then teaching is not for you.
Even if you’re a professor of some science, even if you know and can do more than beginners, even if you have achievements and degrees in your field of interest, you mustn’t forget the unwritten code of the Teacher.
If you teach someone, your student, no matter their age, becomes a child during the training.
And how will a child learn?!
Children are very sensitive to condescension. There are countless examples of children demanding to be addressed formally, thus affirming their importance. An adult’s “from above” treatment of a child/teenager deeply affects him/her.
A practical example:
At a music school, I had young children, ages 6 and up, come to study with me. They found it difficult to say my first name and patronymic, so we agreed to communicate by my first name only. The children listened, interrupted, fooled around, and played, but when I addressed them formally, they changed before my eyes: their posture straightened, their hands gained confidence for play, adult words (perhaps some from their parents’ vocabulary) slipped into the conversation, the children began to listen and became more and more engaged in the learning process.
Imagine if we were treated with the same respect at school…
By the way, think back to your childhood. We walk around, greet everyone, use respectful pronouns, our mothers insist that we should speak formally with adults. And these adults are constantly poking us and don’t even notice that we’ve already grown up and can already think sensibly, can go to the store ourselves and even wash the dishes, can consider ourselves adults.
Have you ever noticed how we adults interact with 3-5-year-olds? We are not embarrassed that a very small child calls us informally. But how our attitude toward conversations with teenagers changes. We don’t want to hear an uncouth youth or a spoiled girl call us “you” as if we were a friend. We’re older, after all.
And what we can see is that you, at this very moment, become that very child who didn’t like being addressed informally. And now, when you have achieved a lot in life, you don’t like to hear poking. You need to be respected, you are an adult, and he is a child.
Typically, there’s a significant age gap between teachers and their students. Someone is shamelessly taking advantage of this. It’s your right, of course, but it’s better to forget your credentials, age, and other distractions during your studies and to selflessly impart your knowledge to another person. Believe me, the quality of your education won’t deteriorate, and the trust will be inexhaustible.
You are a teacher; don’t stoop below or rise above your students. Only your students can elevate you, as well as lower you. After all, everyone knows that the success of their students is equal to the success of their teacher.
In the eyes of your students, you will be a guru, a master, or someone else. You will receive recognition and gratitude, praise and criticism, only when you truly become a Teacher.
And yes, dear teachers, our progress, our success, and, to a greater extent, our failures in teaching, are important to you, and very little to us.
Listen to your teacher, but don’t forget to listen to your students.
