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There's a corner of this week's Big Stuff that points at bad teachers, and you should all know I am hyper-conscious of all the things teachers get wrong and every class I'm terrified of becoming every single one of the teachers who wronged me as a student.
You would think that it's as simple as 'don't be a bad person, Rex' but legit this stuff sneaks up on you.
It starts with 'Lecturer Voice'- a tone you inevitably take that is slightly too loud, slightly too authoritative, and tough to switch off when class finishes.
It starts with 'Lecturer Voice'- a tone you inevitably take that is slightly too loud, slightly too authoritative, and tough to switch off when class finishes.
There's lots of little things. Turns out surrounding yourself with people eager to earn your respect, and ask questions you know the answers to can result in a lot of superiority complexes if you're not careful.
You can feel it creeping in, and you have to talk it back down.
You can feel it creeping in, and you have to talk it back down.
Eventually a student asked me a legitimate question and in my mind I blurted- "You idiot. This is so obvious. We've done this in class like 4x. How do you not get this. omg."
Which is a natural thought if the problem is demo'd 4x a semester, every semester.
It *IS* easy. For me.
Which is a natural thought if the problem is demo'd 4x a semester, every semester.
It *IS* easy. For me.
Of course I didn't act on that impulse, but it was so REAL and surprising and revealed exactly the thought process of many of my old programming lecturers.
So I went out and bought a guitar -I'd never played- and reminded myself what a pain in the arse learning can be.
So I went out and bought a guitar -I'd never played- and reminded myself what a pain in the arse learning can be.
The trick seems to be to never see the students as Other, but to see them as Your Student Self.
Noone becomes a teacher without learning from others- I try to think of the empathy and actions I would have most appreciated as a student and try to live up to it.
Noone becomes a teacher without learning from others- I try to think of the empathy and actions I would have most appreciated as a student and try to live up to it.
Probably don't make people do uncomfortable stuff.
A lot of exercises that have value in private are SUPER ANXIETY INDUCING for class work. Just ask if it helped after, you don't need to see it.
(I don't actually think that drawing oneself nude has a lot of technical benefit.)
A lot of exercises that have value in private are SUPER ANXIETY INDUCING for class work. Just ask if it helped after, you don't need to see it.
(I don't actually think that drawing oneself nude has a lot of technical benefit.)
At the end of the day the teacher is a stepping stone, or rung on the ladder of each of their student's journeys.
It's not *supposed* to be a place of power/authority- but the capitalist/monarchical authority structure that we base everything on finds root there.
We are servants.
It's not *supposed* to be a place of power/authority- but the capitalist/monarchical authority structure that we base everything on finds root there.
We are servants.
For Teachers: You're lucky to be able to help your students. They'll remember your choices.
For Students: Your teachers aren't cops and they aren't perfect or always right. Never give them any more respect than they earn through your interactions. Work to written requirements.
For Students: Your teachers aren't cops and they aren't perfect or always right. Never give them any more respect than they earn through your interactions. Work to written requirements.
