I saw one of my classmates, Julia, write a blog post about a demonstration that our ceramics professor did today in class. She was basically asking why a college professor can get away with an unprepared and scattered demo, while we are being trained and taught how to avoid that at all costs. It got me thinking: what have I really learned about education and teaching from my professors and their hidden curricula?
1. Teachers are not perfect. We are all humans, and understanding that our teachers (and us when we are teachers) will make mistakes, things will go wrong, and that is okay. Students need to let go of the fact that just because we are their "superiors," it doesn't mean that we are perfect all the time. It's like when little kids finally learn that their parents are the superheros they thought they were, you still have to love them just the same. However, that being said....
2. Preparation and practice are keys to success! The only way a teacher can avoid these momentary mishaps would be to plan what they are going to do and say and when everything is going to happen, and even like the old saying goes, practice makes perfect! Why not practice that demo at home once before you do it, or at least the speaking portion of it if lack of materials are a concern, that way you know what you want to do and it makes your job easier when in front of your students. I somewhat agree with Julia in that our ceramics teacher did seem unprepared, and a lot of time was wasted because of this. She even admitted it had been a while since she worked with those materials, but that shouldn't be an excuse for wasting your students time and not teaching as effectively as possible. Plan, prepare and practice, that will help lessen the possible mistakes you will inevitably make!
3. Push your students to their limits, and maybe even beyond. Something I noticed this semester in my own classes is how challenged I feel, finally! This has been one of the toughest semesters of college yet, and even though I have whined and complained and lost a little sleep over it, I am happy to know that I am being challenged to do my best work possible, to not give up at mediocricy, and I thank (and applaud) my teachers for doing this for me. Is it easier to just do what's necessary and then call it a day? Of course! But what do you really learn from that? In many of my classes (but particularly in ceramics and T&P) I feel the push from my teachers to always be doing more, and that's great. Even if at the time I want to throw my hands in the air and walk out, looking back I realize that I have done really fantastic work this semester and learned A LOT in both of those classes specifically, probably because of how much we have been pushed to always be doing more, trying this or that, or reworking something until it's (nearly) perfect. Your students may get frustrated with you for doing this, they might even say you're "the worst teacher ever," but it will make them smarter, better students, and more motivated people after it's all over, and hopefully they'll see this too, just like I have!
4. Nurture your students, but do not baby them. Every student needs to feel like their teacher cares about them and their well-being, but there is a difference between supporting your students and coddling them. One of my professors this semester - who, don't get me wrong, is definitely a great teacher and who I've learned a lot from - just seems like too much of a pushover because she is so easy-going and wants to make us feel good about the work we do, even if (in my opinion) it's not our best. She always tells people how great their work is, or this and that, but I disagree, and if I had been the teacher, I wouldn't have been so congratulatory about it if I know the student could do better. I've noticed this in one of my other art ed classes, where the teacher is so supportive and nurturing, but lacks the ability to tell students if something should be changed or isn't the greatest whatever the assignment was. I just feel like teachers need to find a good balance between the two, in order for students to succeed as much as possible.They need to feel like their teachers care about them and are proud of the work they do, but only when they deserve the pride. When something needs improvement or the student can do something better in the future, that should be expressed by the tecahers, because that is what will help students in the long run. Not a high five after a really great presentation.
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