I was speaking to my wife who, sharing a few friends’ experiences, mentioned that teaching kids in the West was more difficult than teaching kids in India. The main difference, she felt, is of relationship- here the teacher is revered, there the relationship is more of equals- respect, maybe, not reverence.
She hypothesised that having kids revere you makes it more easy to teach them.
I feel what she really meant was “having kids revere you makes it more easy to teach control them.” All other things – and a healthy dose of respect – constant, I feel that teaching ‘equals’ is much easier and much more effective.
Reverence in the Indian school context makes the teacher an Authority who is supposed to inspire awe and intellectual subservience. (although in private schools across urban India this may have changed, it still remains a reality in many others). Students are tacitly expected to take the teacher as an expert on his subject, hang on to every word spoken in class, smile politely and not ask too many questions. But, without questioning, can learning happen? Sure the classroom is more disciplined quiet, but is it really more enagaged?
What do you think? Would you rather be the Sage on the Stage or the Guide by the Side?
I think it would be nice to have a little bit of both. Here many students are of the opinion that teachers and students should have equal respect. I think what they really mean is that teachers should treat them with dignity and that is something that I wholeheartedly agree with. However, too many students come into the classroom with the expectation that I’m going to treat them as an equal, like I would a friend. That’s where we run into problems.
I agree with ms_teacher.
Mutual respect, kindness, social distance, humility, a good work ethic, and interpersonal and organizational skills are the teacher traits that I think will get a teacher over the classroom management hump and into the world of student engagement and high achievement.
Thank Ms_teacher and Repairman. I am very keen to see what other say; I agree with you. I think one has to shift gears between being the sage and being the guide, thought for me, more guide than sage is a good thing.
I have always tried to have a fun, personal, engaging and friendly relationship with students and have been very careful not to let friendly become casual because that’s when the ball drops.
Social or Professional Distance, as Repairman says, may seem to the new teacher as passe and old-school. He wants to know the student, be on his team, bond with him. But he learns quickly that this is a critical element of good teaching.
I had the opportunity to visit a senior doctor in Mumbai this evening. When he heard that I was a teacher, he mentioned, with an anecdote, “when I have ‘sentiments’ for a patient, I leave that case and hand it over to another doctor.” He pointed out that for Doctors, like for Teachers it was the case.
Seems like he was responding to this post, even though he may not have known it!
Vivek,
It teach regularly and I feel there should be a mix of both – however since I am teaching in a professional institute – I cannot expect students who are hardly 2-3 years younger to revere me…
I try to break ice by either cracking jokes or telling them to stop calling me “Sir” – In fact I feel quite nice when students actually start interacting and then you have to think on the feet and reply – its a new challenge than just being in the “discourse” mode…
I would much rather be a “Guide by the Side” and I would expect the students to definitely follow me not because they revere me or anything, but because they know that I am good at what I teach…
Hi Vivek,
You and I seem to have similar philosophies on our working relationships with students (friendly and fun, but professional). While I treat my students with respect and expect it back from them, I don’t think that “reverence” or control automatically equals engagement. Rather, it opens the door for a skilled/passionate teacher to employ creative lessons and generate engaging topics.
When the issue of discipline is minor or nonexistent, the teacher can focus his or her energy on becoming a better teacher instead of a referee. I don’t know if all teachers take that opportunity, but it’s a matter of students and teachers meeting each other halfway: the students agree to behave respectfully, responsibly, and appropriately, and the teacher agrees to draw upon their willingness to participate by seeking out new and exciting ways to teach them. I think that’s a fair trade by any measure.