What students learn from their teachers..."you will forget what someone has said or done, but you will never forget how someone made you feel."

Hi everyone!

I had to get on here and post today...wow...two days in a row!!

There are just a few things I need to get off my shoulders or chest...however you wanna look at it, lol.  When I write, for some reason....it brings clarity to a situation that I cannot "think through"--and I really need some clarity on this one, so I figured I would let my hands get to clicking these keys and see what comes of it.

Teacher:  One who instructs.

Instruct:  To direct or furnish with information.

Okay...I'm gonna begin right here.

I will say that the best teachers are experienced in the field they instruct...but on the flip side of that...not everyone with a vast amount of experience in a certain area are good teachers.  Just because you are a master in something doesn't necessarily mean that you have the qualities to teach what you know to another.  However, an apprentice looks to one with experience as a mentor...someone to look up to, respect, and emulate in a way.  What happens when your teacher is impatient, condescending, and seemingly expects you to already KNOW everything just because you have been told once?  And what if there are SO many things to remember, everything is brand new to you, and you are trying to "file" all of this information in a manner that you can best call it back up, but your teacher places emphasis on expediency BEFORE knowledge.  What then happens is an attitude of the teacher that "you should already know this, therefore, you should be better at it" when the student is still in the learning stage, not fully knowing or understanding all of the facets of the task at hand that they are trying so hard to sort out and place in some sort of order in their minds.  I have always been taught that accuracy comes BEFORE speed.  You have to understand all of the details before you feel comfortable enough to speed them up.  One thing at a time and then the comfort to multitask comes in..You really need to be fully aware of the steps to take and  the time these steps take in order to manage that time more efficiently.  You cannot give someone a list of things to do, send them into a place to FIND them on their own and expect them to know where to go, how to get it done and be quick about it.

This kind of teaching is actually detrimental to the student who wants so badly to learn.  The student wants to feel guided and wants to use this period of "teaching" time  to absorb as much information as they comfortably can, while being given the time to methodically place all of the information in some sort of manageable order and then assess how they themselves can bring life to it.   Learning something new cannot be rushed and just because someone has done something similar and is very good at it doesn't mean that they already know the intricate workings of something altogether different with just that one similarity.

I know, as a mother that I would not want a teacher to just expect my child to know something that they first had not  been guided to learn by the people who are supposed to be guiding and mentoring them.  It makes a person feel left out, stupid, and makes them question their own value and their ability to learn something new.

What we all need to understand is that learning is a process...it comes full-circle with experience...however, before experience, you have to be equipped and provided with the proper tools.  Give a student the time to make sense of what they are being taught.  Writing 2+2=4 on the chalkboard doesn't teach anyone anything.  The value of the numbers first have to be learned and mastered, then the concept of addition needs to be learned and mastered BEFORE my child can become a master math.  The "method" first...then the process of mastery.  Just because my child has gone to nursery school and has learned and mastered some of the rules of social engagement, coloring, drawing, etc. doesn't mean that they are prepared for kindergarten work, nor can a kindergartner be expected to do 6th grade math just because they have done well in a classroom environment before!

To all of you who are looked to to mentor someone.  Remember this:  1).  This person either wants very badly or needs very badly to learn.  2).  Not everyone learns at the same pace nor in the same manner.  3).  Be patient.  4).  Keep your frustration to yourself.  5).  Don't engage your student into your own personal drama nor place them in the middle of a vendetta you have with someone else only because they made an inquiry (asking questions is the way we LEARN).  6).  Someday this student may become YOUR teacher.

And to the student.  Do not let ANYONE make you believe that you are slow, stupid, not good enough just because they have mastered what they obviously have no tolerance to teach someone else.   Instead of allowing them to make you feel devalued and wanting to just give up, use their indifference to prove to yourself that their opinion doesn't matter...you WILL learn, you WILL develop a method, and you WILL master it.  Take charge of YOURSELF and forget what anyone else "thinks" they know about you.  Let it motivate you, not destroy you.

"Every great work, every great accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement, comes apparent failure and discouragement."

Florence Scovel Shinn

"A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you."

Bob Proctor

The Mediocre teacher tells.  The good teacher explains.  The superior teacher demonstrates.  The great teacher inspires.~William Arthur Ward.  

To all...a good day!!