Self-evaluation — 5 Habits in You That Make You the Worst Teacher Ever!
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. Henry Brooks Adams
A teacher can create a nation, and he can easily destroy one as well. Why? Because he has that kind of massively strong effect on the masses. It is his beliefs and ideologies that we see around us. Why do you believe in God? Why do you care for good deeds? Why is lying not a big deal for you?
If you sit down and think — it all connects back to a teacher! A person who taught you that there is a God, that you have to be nice to each other, or that it is OK to deceive others at times.
A teacher is the most influential personality in everybody’s life whether we accept it or not, and that’s why it is important to notice these 5 habits in yourself (if you are a teacher) and evaluate yourself because if you possess these habits, it can make you the worst teacher and you will not merely be affecting just your classroom but an entire generation!
Habit#1 — Know-it-all
A student gets up and tells you that he recently found out about the tigers’ spiky tongues, and you say I know it, and it’s not relevant to the chapter; sit down!
A pretty simple scenario — but you know what you have done as a teacher? You have killed the curious soul of your student. Never tell your students that everything they know is something you already know.
Do not become a Know-it-all person in your classroom. Sometimes, it is better to act surprised and ask the student more about it, why it interests him? and what else he knows about tigers. Add something from your side as well; you may say, That’s very interesting. Do you know why they have spikes on their tongues?
A 5-minute discussion in your classroom will NOT make a huge difference on your syllabus coverage, but it will surely spark enthusiasm in your students.
Habit#2 — A Well-disciplined Classroom
I used to work as a teacher, and many of my colleagues would look at me astonishingly when I would say that if you have a well-disciplined classroom, it means you are not doing it the right way!
A well-disciplined classroom is where every student is sitting on his seat attentively listening to the teacher, and that’s what the problem is! If your classroom is well-disciplined, it means that your students are sitting with a blank mind; there is nothing they are thinking about, no questions because they are either too afraid to ask or simply don’t want to ask — both of which make you a pretty bad teacher.
Let your students think and ask as much as they want, and turn your classroom into chaos once in a while so that the developing minds of your students can think and grow in any direction they want! Give them some sunshine, and help them color the world in the shades and hues they like, not the ones that you choose for them.
Habit#3 Asking the Wrong Question
A student fails your test, you insult him in the classroom, call him in your office later, and ask him, are you really interested in studies? Or just want to waste your parents’ money? Why did you forget the test? Do you ever forget to eat? Of course, he does not forget to eat; nobody does! It is a biological need. Why are you making your student feel guilty about his biological needs? What are you doing in this scenario? You are asking the wrong questions!
Ask your student about his inclinations, things that intrigue him, things that occasionally scare him, and work around that.
Yes, it is a time-consuming process but think of the lives you could change, the kids that wouldn’t be depressed adults, only if you start asking the right questions!
Habit#4 — Glorifying Success Stories
I still remember hating the teachers who would share how intelligent and intellectual they had been in our age; glorifying your success stories in the classroom is the worst thing to do as a teacher.
Tell your students that you have failed multiple times, and it is completely OK for them to fail as well; what is NOT OK is to stop trying! They should not feel discouraged because everybody fails as a student once in a while; perfection is not the quality students should be adhering to; they should rather develop determination, empathy, and self-confidence. Everything else eventually comes around.
Remember that a success story infuses envy and self-depreciation, while a failure story injects motivation and courage.
Habit#5 — The ‘ism’ Quotient
I think the worst habit in a teacher is to have an ‘ism’ quotient (a term I came up with on my own, to be honest) which means practicing extremism, racism, sexism, fanaticism, etc., and to do or say anything in the classroom that makes your student think that they are either inferior or superior to others or that they are too right or too wrong in some way.
Be true and be kind to your students. Teach them that it is OK to be different for them and for others as well. Promote equality and peace in your classroom.
Think of your classroom as a tiny little world and do the best you can to make it as good as possible. Make sure that when your students step out of this world, they take a piece of it in the outside world and make it as good, peaceful, and compassionate as possible.
What Should You Do?
I always like to say that infuse the soul of an artist in your students’ hearts and the determination of a scientist in their minds.
Make them grow and prosper under your supervision, don’t insult them in order to teach — teach with love and kindness because your students always carry a part of you outside unknowingly — make sure it’s worth it!
Your students are your people, try to turn them into something that makes a difference in the world; they are your chance to change and transform the world — use it wisely!
