Looking for a small corner of the world to reign over? Please don't go into teaching.
So many who lack power elsewhere in their lives are mistakenly drawn back to the classroom. Maybe they picture it as a place where they can close the door and dominate willing and compliant young people.
But we all know that doesn't work out...not for the young people, and not for the insecure adult either. She ends-up hiding in the staff room, complaining to anyone who will listen about "kids these days". Miserable, she runs her classroom unsmilingly and with a false authority that garners little respect.
Sadly, The Insecure Controller is not alone in her school - she will always have peers who share her approach. These miserable teachers are rightly despised by their students whose derision fills the halls between classes with a palpable frustration tinged with fear.
Controllers fear creativity and change, and are so inflexible that their curriculum remains constant across years, sometimes even whole generations of students. The longer they teach, the more miserable they become, and the less likely they are to step outside the protective walls of the school to try any other profession.
We have all known a teacher like this...we dismiss him from our life come June. But what damage has he done, really? He may be powerless to inspire curiosity or respect, but even if he leaves only the faintest sour taste in a student's mouth...he can change the course of a life. And he should not be tolerated.
Good Morning!
ReplyDeleteYour insight here is fascinating. I'm wondering if the domineering controller is actually drawn to teaching as a profession - or if one simply discovers that the classroom is a venue for a need to operate from tyranny?
Like the Insecure Controller, however, all teachers bring personality "quirks" with them to their classrooms. Have you visited the classroom of a "Class Clown?" How about the classroom of a "Pollyanna?" Very recently, I've discovered that the classrooms of serious "TechnoGeeks" often corner the environment for "tech study" rather than content building.
I'm afraid the phenomenon you accurately describe is another expression of the "Me Generation." Perhaps we need teacher prep classes to convince candidates that: "It's NOT About YOU!" I'm not sure how one convinces individuals to "get over themselves." I think your emphasis on student-centered teaching is a start.