Sometimes things just click, especially while you’re in the shower. For me today that was thinking about teachers and in particular the difference between a good, bad, and excellent one.
In particular I was reliving a memory where I gave a presentation in one of my high school classes about converting away from dirty energy sources to solar (this was in 1990 or ’91 so I was well ahead of the curve). Despite how clearly I’d described the solution, kids in my class (and these were AP level kids, no less) kept asking, “What do you do at night?” I must have answered this question three or four times before I simply gave up. I mean, really? They’d never heard of a battery?
What I hadn’t considered is that maybe I could have had some visuals, in particular, brought a couple rechargeable batteries to class and plugged them into a radio or something. I tended to plan way ahead, especially for presentations, but given my autism and generally socially awkward nature (plus public speaking terrified me) I tended to write down my entire speech and memorize it word for word (which is how I thought neurotypicals did things—but with much less effort), so that was my focus. I probably got an A for the presentation, but looking back, I wonder why my teacher didn’t give me any advice or pointers. I also wondered why he didn’t pick up on my fears and awkwardness and provide guidance and even work with me to overcome many of my fears after class (after all, he had plenty of time to coach the wrestling and volleyball teams).
This one simple memory became a flash bulb moment. What’s the difference between the good, the bad, and the excellent teacher? Actually, I think it’s quite simple:
A bad teacher just grades your work.
A decent teacher grades your work and provides some feedback (usually with a red pen).
A good teacher grades your work, provides feedback, and guides you in the right direction.
An excellent teacher does all of these things and actively collaborates with you.
On some level I think we’re all aware of these differences as we’re apt to say, “I loved that teacher!” when they were someone that guided and collaborated with us. Maybe the reason I decided to write about this is that it helps us, those of us that sometimes find ourselves in the role of a teacher, recognize the core differences between these types so we can focus on what’s important, that is, feedback, guidance, and collaboration, not simply providing straight forward mind dumps.