Teaching is about caring
Anyone can chose a formation in education.
Show up for work, follow a guide, give exercises, correct them, and do this all over again.
But we all met that special teacher, that was not like the others.
The one that spoke to us, as if we were adults, respected us, and “saw” us.
She had a touch of modern, rebellious streak or on the contrary was very traditional, but she had one thing that made her ( or him) stand out : she cared.
She or he was funny, entertaining.
Dynamic. And there for us.
I started teaching in 1988. Mostly for pocket money while I was trying to figure out how to make my dream come true, become an entertainer.
I taught across Europe, young and old, students and professionals, and followed my ambitions. Great Britain, Greece, Cyprus...I enjoyed sharing what I was learning, be it vocal positioning or brain gym for learning disabilities.
I was growing as a teacher as well as an artist, without my knowledge.
Once I reached a certain age, and having fulfilled my other needs, I realized that now, more than anything, teaching is a passion. And a well lived, traveled and seasoned teacher is one of the best things a lesson can have, better than any book, better than any program.
A good teacher knows when to put the book aside and start from scratch, when to fight for a child, when to reach out and pull someone out of a role that was given to him or her.
A good teacher knows how to keep the interest up, how to expose to different ways and things, and how to create real tools, not rehash mindlessly repeated dogmas, but real tools, that will serve in life.
How to find confidence, how to tease curiosity, help find an identity, how to nurture that identity. . How to be honest with ourselves.
To see that glimpse of understanding in the eye of a child who previously had given up, following the words and judgments of the adults, is magical. That light in a face of a person who feels smart and included in something that before looked obscure and stressful is delightful and a real transformation happening before your eyes.
To see a kid going from swinging in his chair, uninterested, to committed and hard working. To see the brains cells in action, thinking, debating, growing and to know I was there to start this process, or to nurture it, is of course one of the most egotistical feelings and motivations one can have. But it is a fair exchange.
“But a language has rules, how is all this related to French” one my wonder.
I believe a good teacher can teach anything, provided she cares.
Cares enough to research and learn her subject and then process it to share it accordingly. Cares enough to give that knowledge generously.
Teaching is about the right dose of entertainment, connection, communication and love. It is also about being inspiring, and innovative.
I was very lucky to have had a teacher like that.
I hope I have become worthy of her.
July 12, 2018
