Teachers as Learners

This piece is all about teachers and their ambition or lack of it, their positive or negative attitude and inclination or unwillingness to continue learning with a dose of psychology and even the odd bit of philosophy.

The sky’s the limit

First of all, it may be worth asking the following: where does ambition come from exactly? It may well be genetic or perhaps it’s the sum of your life experiences thus far. If you grow up in a learner-friendly environment, then you are more likely to be interested in learning. While, if you have under-achieved at some point in your life or reached rock-bottom, then it is quite natural that you will over-compensate by seeking out new challenges where you can finally be proud of your achievements. Why does a teacher need to be ambitious you may ask yourself? On a basic level, the further your reach, the more chance you have of understanding what life is all about. In terms of career development, you should ask yourself what your priorities are. If it’s becoming rich and famous, then you are in the wrong profession. Whereas, if you would like to have job satisfaction and variety then you may need to do some soul-searching. Do you live to work or work to live? If you have spent 10 years teaching business English, but not tried anything else, then wouldn’t it be an idea to explore what else you can achieve, i.e. in the world of ELT (English Language Teaching)? Naturally, gaining experience is valuable, but, thank goodness, there is more to explore.

Devil-may-care attitude

The most common barriers other than financial issues are arguably complacency and laziness. Or is it perhaps a poor attitude to what’s important in life or what is right as in what one’s priorities should be. Of course, teachers are free (in some societies) to make their own minds up here. For many, taking the lift instead of the stairs is not just a literal reality, but, in fact a metaphor for their general attitude to life. It’s true, instead of taking the easy option, you can improve your fitness and reduce the chance of getting dementia when you climb steps rather than ride elevators, for example (as part of 30 minutes exercise per day: https://drhyman.com/blog/2010/06/14/9-steps-to-reverse-dementia-and-memory-loss-as-you-age-2/). Equally, when the conditions are right, if you give yourself reasonable, reachable goals and keep challenging yourself, you will remain stimulated and feel fulfilled in what you do. This is vital in feeling that you are doing something positive and worthwhile. Therefore, by having the right attitude, you can do something that is beneficial to your general well-being.

Sow the seeds for success

What’s quick and easy is safe and painless and not just the first choice; it’s as if no other reality exists. If you do want to try something new, then just do the research and put the feelers out. Why not give it a try? By way of illustration, imagine you have the opportunity to do a teacher training course run by the most prestigious organisation in the business, which is considered to be the best course of its kind. The only thing is that it costs an arm and a leg, it would require a lot of commitment, and there is no guarantee of career progression at the end of it. Do you find that you tend to see the disadvantages in things before the positives? Beware! This is a common mistake, especially among those who lack confidence or who cannot see the wood from the trees. This could be a lack of foresight, depression or insecurity holding you back. Sometimes, it is necessary for somebody else to give you a push in the right direction or to help you to see things more clearly. There are those who work their socks off and spend their hard-earned money on holidays, for example. Clearly people’s priorities differ dramatically from one another. There is nothing wrong with that on one level; hobbies and relaxation are important and necessary after all that hard work. Although, one school of thought is that lasting satisfaction, which comes from within, is greater than any instant gratification, monetary compensation or trivial treat. Where there’s a will there’s a way. To some extent, we make our own reality. Back to learning experiences and just to make it clear; cultural holidays, for example, are highly educational, and can work wonders for opening your mind and giving you inspiration; there’s certainly nothing wrong with that.

Go with the flow

If you use a text book during a course, try not to let that be the only book you use. If there are mistakes on your hand-outs that become apparent, then update them. If you made a grammar mistake or explained something incorrectly, then make sure you rectify it either by updating the exercise or telling the student(s) at the first opportunity. In a lesson, if you don’t know something, but feel that your knowledge could be bolstered by reading up on the subject, then do so not only to satisfy your curiosity, but to smooth over any rough edges where possible. If you discover that there are other methods that you are unaccustomed to, then don’t shy away and be open to teach things in a different way. Become acquainted with what’s out of your comfort zone, which will probably make you feel uneasy at first. If you repeat this, after no time, you will be used to and comfortable with this feeling. Above all, if you are doing the same old thing and you start to crave a new challenge, then try something new; after all, variety is the spice of life. 

Can you share any positive steps you made that involved taking the plunge into the unknown?