To See Through A Darkened Glass
(8 minute read)
(From the previous article): …what is transferred to learners is not what is “taught” but what is “caught.” What is caught by students is the attitude and philosophy of teachers, their way of life, if you will. Our behaviors and habits make a difference in the life of the learner more than we think.
Let’s consider our past or current educators. We can easily recall the subject they taught. But what stands out most is their habits and behaviors, the WAY they taught. Especially those that made an impression on us.
Inevitably I will run into a former student somewhere in public. As we catch up and reminisce they rarely ever recount the things I taught. Most often they describe my overall disposition, or my mannerisms in the classroom. (Apparently I say, “the reality is” a lot when lecturing). Or, recount a time when they were the recipient of patience or empathy when they needed it most.
Just as important as modeling, the educational environment also plays a vital role. The class atmosphere, the mechanics of teaching, and being fully engaged as we teach are part of the formula. Developing an environment of caring for human beings in the classroom is possible no matter what discipline is being taught.
Teaching is a privilege and a joy and the educational environment should be one that reflects that. What we are trying to achieve is the ideal situation for maximum learning. We can’t do it 100% of the time, but it doesn’t stop us from striving. When teacher and environment create opportunities for the student to be engaged learning takes place.
To create that environment the onus is on the instructor. We can only model what is already inside us. If we are excited about our personal life-long scholarship we can’t help but to reflect that in the classroom. It’s it is hard to fake it if we don’t have that joy and motivation.
If you are with me so far let me offer a word of advice. Don’t feel as if you have to “arrive” before considering these changes. Just as knowledge is an ever elusive pursuit so is this. Being a life-long learner means two things.
One, we never buckle under the pressure of having to be perfect. We will never be perfect. Perfection isn’t the goal. Be kind and go easy on yourself.
Two, using a metaphor from the gaming culture we are all on a quest, student and teacher alike. This quest only ends when the capacity for learning is no longer there. That’s right, the grave. Until then there is only one thing in life. To learn. That is the one thing that can never be exhausted.
Being Effective Models
How can we be effective models of this in the classroom?
To start, we have to be willing to be patient and forgiving toward ourselves.
Striving for perfectionism kills spontaneity and humor and we need both. Let’s not take ourselves too seriously. We aren’t spending our days trying to run a country, just a classroom. If we are uptight in there our students will be as well. If we are loose and unafraid to take chances they’ll pick up on that as well. Students are adapt at being keen observers.
If we are patient, welcoming, and vulnerable to ourselves we will be to our students. It requires us to admit our weaknesses and being honest about our strengths. Try to be keenly aware of what Palmer refers to as the “hidden curriculum” that the classroom offers. Topics we weren’t expecting to cover that day inevitably arise. Tackle them despite the tight schedule of your planning book. Ruminate with the students until you both know they’re getting it.
Palmer likens those special moments we experience as teachers to a musician performing. A musician plays because of the special moments they experience while practicing, composing, or playing before an audience. The music seems to play itself and the musician becomes the “observer.” These are fleeting moments and can suddenly appear without a moments notice.
The performative joy we experience in the classroom is what captures us. If it seems foreign to you then consider making the necessary changes or get out and start another career. Life is too short.
This joy is at its peak when students and teacher discover together the “ah-ha” moments. Knowledge is transplanted and internalized. Everything is somehow illuminated for everyone.
For many of us, these rare moments are the reason we teach. When they happen, like the musician, we seem to enter into a state where the work is effortless. Instead of the usual uphill battle, everything and everyone seems to click. They often happen unplanned and can’t be fabricated by gimmicks. And they often sustain us until the next moment of joy comes along.
Admittedly, those “in-between” moments are tough. Especially when the classroom seems dull, lifeless, painful, and everyone is confused (including us). Feeling impudent, our claim to a vocation of teaching is racked with doubt. Internally we become and feel, as Palmer writes, “a transparent sham” desperately hoping that no one notices.
These moments of self-doubt may be systematically prevalent to some of us because of three dynamics.
First, we know that no matter the discipline we teach the subject is always bigger than we are. To expect that we command the knowledge because of a series of acronyms after our name (like Ph.D.) is a grave mistake. We are only beginning the process of mastering the material.
“Teaching,” Parker writes, “requires a command of content that always eludes our grasp.”
There are many hazards of being an educator. One is falling into the trap of pretending that we are supposed to know everything.
On the first day of classes I informed students that my three favorite words were, “I don’t know.” My second favorite three words were, “Let’s find out.”
Never be afraid to say either.
Knowledge is flawed no matter how much time we spend trying to perfect it. We either quickly accept that education truly is a lifetime pursuit or buckle under the weight of impostor syndrome. If we are not willing to accept that fact for ourselves how can we teach others the same?
Second, the psychological, cultural, societal complex make-up of our students creates another complicated dynamic. “To respond to them,” Parker writes, “requires a fusion of Freud and Solomon that few of us achieve.”
The final years of teaching before my retirement was a whirlwind in the classroom. The values and the quality of students changed three specific times during those years.
One example I have is the texting habits of students. Told by parents and educators alike that “C U L8ter” in text-form was a disgrace many feared the rebuke. Like a four year-old warned their face is going to freeze if they keep doing that they wondered.
Naturally they were interested in what I had to say about it.
The next wave of students, apparently buckling under the pressure, refused to text in abbreviated language. “See you later” was proper texting etiquette and they condemned the abbreviated practice and anyone who used it.
“Thoughts, Professor?”
By the time the third wave of students came around they could not care less. Texting was “SMH.” Video communication was the thing.
The above examples are anecdotal. But it matches with what I’ve read from other educators.
The important thing is we need to be observant, adjusting our approach in the classroom. It is the key to remaining relevant.
Third, like any other human endeavor, teaching is centered on who we are, for better or worse. As mentioned earlier, our inner-selves are observant to our students as we teach .
Viewed this way, teaching is a mirror to our inner life.
“When I do not know myself, I cannot know who my students are. I will see them through a glass darkly, in the shadow of my unexamined life. And when I cannot see them clearly, I cannot teach them well. When I do not know myself, I cannot know my subject.”
Palmer, The Courage to Teach, Wiley and Sons, San Francisco, CA, 2007.
We can become vulnerable to this process if we are brave enough to step out of our comfort zone. It is an uneasy feeling at first. I imagine as unnerving as an astronaut taking their first spacewalk. With nothing to grasp, the tether is the only thing keeping them grounded.
Read The University in Crises, Pt. 6
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