Teacher: Egocentric Performer or Kind Informer ?

After a little break due to an ill tummy I am back in the land of blog!

Today I taught a great class to a wonderful little miss who amazingly is a Brazilian who at the age of 6 has developed a second language with minimal formal training but foramlly attending an American school for the past year to year and a half.
She has a wonderfully supportive family who has provided many wonderful resources, yet she is always apologising when she makes a mistake.
She reminded me that we are all in need of reasurrance. We all need a careful explanation at times and to be respectfully informed rather than spoken to as if being no more than a moron.

Sometimes, as we get used to being the centre of attention (as a teacher), the most important thing in the room, and we forget the importance and the level of the intellect of those we teach. Our tone changes and we sound egotistic, arrogant or superior. This is not what a good teacher does.
A true teacher is humble in his knowledge and willing to share it. They will recognize that educating is a two way street, that a person who is open to learning new aspects of any area of life is actully in a position of vunerability, and that in itself should be respected.

I took a class a week ago, a singing class. I felt so awkward. I didn´t like being told what to do,I wanted to excuse myself everytime the teacher explained something and I respeated it incorrectly. The funny thing was that the teacher was lovely. She did nothing wrong at all. I was made to feel comfortable and relaxed. The pressure and awkwardness I felt was completely me being unaccustomed to the hot seat. It was a very educational experience for me both in relation to the singing and the student experience (thank you GTR).

So next time you go to teach someone something, anything really, have patience and be respectful. Possessing knowledge does not make you superior or others inferior but it does give you a certain power that you can choose to use positively or negatively.

Enjoy education and be open to learning.

Miss Hayley
PoGo Communications