Role of the Teacher

The other day, I entered into a conversation with my friend Gina discussing the role of 'the teacher'.  I suppose the topic came up after I came to the conclusion that successful education is largely based upon the role parents and role-models and culture play in a student's life.  More often than not, without moral guidance, a student will ultimately choose not to respect authority, will choose not to participate in learning, and will follow one's own unhealthy desires, making other poor and unhealthy choices along the way.

For those students the best education seems to be love, care, and shown how to make good moral choices.  Oftentimes they just want and need someone to give them a voice and hear them out.  The teacher plays the role-model figure and helps them discover how to live.  Content material becomes meaningless rubbish in light of the real needs.  Once those needs are met, then the teacher becomes a teacher of content, giving the student aspirations and setting the bar high.  I suppose this idea really goes back to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - before a kid can truly learn and flourish, they have to feel safe, loved, and heard.

This is the tricky part that I find being an educator: how can I play both the role-model relational figure while still being the authoritative chemistry educator as well?  50% may respond to the former while the other 50% might respond to that latter.  I teach the material as entertainingly as possible, throwing in punny jokes, real-life application, making in analogies to high school situations, and incorporating hands-on demonstrations.  I am usually 'all business' in the classroom, rarely talking about myself or who I am and staying focused as best I can to the goal or objectives for the day.  Recently I have questioned this approach when late into the school year, the kids started asking questions about ME.  I guess I hadn't realized how interested students could be in their teacher and his life decisions.  Perhaps this will be a change I make in future years.

So how then can I as teacher measure my success as one?  Certainly there are standardized exams to help inform teaching or I could base it upon the number of students and parents and administrators who like me.  But real success goes back to my goals of being a teacher - to inspire and create consciences critical thinkers and lifelong learners.   Last school year I ended up with a number of students who only learned how to cheat their way through the various systems.  For those students, I hope they come learn in a not so hard way that they can't cheat their way through life.  As much as I disciplined, in the end for those students I failed.  Other students I have come to grow a relationship.  I saw a spark of inspiration.  Perhaps with that they will pursue something bigger than themselves.  And then there are the students with unseen appreciation.  Perhaps they will one day think back and attribute something they learned from me or my class.

I will of course continue to learn and develop as I know I am far from perfect.  But as I think back to my college chemistry professor's advice to me, that I will never reach everyone. But even if I can touch one or two lives and make a difference, then I should consider myself a success.  If that's true, then I suppose I'm doing alright.