Teachers Can't Teach!

We teachers exist in a “Cloud Cuckoo Land” of our own devising.

We think that we ‘teach’ [sic.] our charges; but teaching is a myth – an impossibility – a posturing of self-aggrandisement, self-righteousness and self-justification. It just doesn’t happen and we must accept that teaching is not our raison d’être.

Teachers do not teach: learners learn!

Teachers should be pedagogues. Our role is not to instil information and values into our students. Our role is to provide the total environment to allow students to learn.

There is an old adage that, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” This is true of minds. You can provide them with all the data, information, knowledge and wisdom at your disposal, but it is only if they decide to, that they will acquire it.

So what should we so called ‘teachers’ be doing?

To start with we need to accept, as an alcoholic needs to accept their affliction, that we can’t teach, per se.

What we must do is accept, encourage and enthuse each of our students; by displaying enthusiasm – not just about our subject, but about each topic within that subject – as well as showing interest in each of them individually.

We need to challenge our students with problems, tasks and projects that they will find relevant and worthwhile, This may well involve devising alternatives leading to the same outcomes.

We must ensure that a wide range of resources, both material and virtual, are available for them to consult – and that includes ourselves.

And we must step back!

Let them learn; don’t force them to be stressed by the possibility of failure.
Remember that these are the people who are going to have to ‘logic’ their way out of the quagmire that we have left them.

I’ll get out of your hair now!
Noel