Teachers: Do you enjoy being outspoken and kind of weird sometimes? (career, college)
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One of my favorite things about being a trainer and college teacher is being in front of a group. People listen to me and I have an audience! I don't want to be bored and if I were all formal all the time I would bore myself as much as the students. So I have thrown caution to the wind and tend to be kind of eccentric and crazy. I am not afraid to be outspoken and very candid and open with the students. I am all of myself and then some. At first you can see they are not quite prepared for my eccentricity and will look kind of shocked and will make funny faces to each other. I can hear them thinking to themselves: "this guy is kind of weird isn't he?
But at the end I get the attention and respect of much of the students and after they understand me a little more they enjoy the class and learn more because I allow myself to be kind of weird.
Teachers and Trainers: Do you act weird in front of your classrooms?
One of my favorite things about being a trainer and college teacher is being in front of a group. People listen to me and I have an audience! I don't want to be bored and if I were all formal all the time I would bore myself as much as the students. So I have thrown caution to the wind and tend to be kind of eccentric and crazy. I am not afraid to be outspoken and very candid and open with the students. I am all of myself and then some. At first you can see they are not quite prepared for my eccentricity and will look kind of shocked and will make funny faces to each other. I can hear them thinking to themselves: "this guy is kind of weird isn't he?
But at the end I get the attention and respect of much of the students and after they understand me a little more they enjoy the class and learn more because I allow myself to be kind of weird.
Teachers and Trainers: Do you act weird in front of your classrooms?
I don't try to act "weird," but teaching is part performance art and public speaking, so I try to make sure I am engaging and have my students' interest. Sometimes that means saying unexpected things or surprising students in some way. However, it's important to remember to be professional at all times - so you can't be totally yourself, because that could actually get inappropriate. I mean, some topics are just off the table, and although I'll mention my personal life, there are definitely limits. I think some teachers get into trouble because they start to feel so comfortable that they cross the line.
I agree with the poster below. Teaching is performance art. But there is a fine line between being too crazy and outspoken and thus losing the respect of the students and being a little eccentric and interesting to hold their attention. Most teachers are super boring because they want to be seen as super professional and they come off as stiff and dull.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marie5v
I don't try to act "weird," but teaching is part performance art and public speaking, so I try to make sure I am engaging and have my students' interest. Sometimes that means saying unexpected things or surprising students in some way. However, it's important to remember to be professional at all times - so you can't be totally yourself, because that could actually get inappropriate. I mean, some topics are just off the table, and although I'll mention my personal life, there are definitely limits. I think some teachers get into trouble because they start to feel so comfortable that they cross the line.
I don't try to act "weird," but teaching is part performance art and public speaking, so I try to make sure I am engaging and have my students' interest. Sometimes that means saying unexpected things or surprising students in some way. However, it's important to remember to be professional at all times - so you can't be totally yourself, because that could actually get inappropriate. I mean, some topics are just off the table, and although I'll mention my personal life, there are definitely limits. I think some teachers get into trouble because they start to feel so comfortable that they cross the line.
I find it is not the topic so much as how I address the topic. Working in the urban school, my students have very few if any boundaries. If I dismiss their comment or do not find a means to address their situation when it is relevant, I have zero credibility. It does need to be relevant.
I cannot interject some off the wall antics that has no common point of reference.
Yesterday the students were doing karyotypes and looking on the internet for examples. For some of the kids DNA is the same as sex, and sex is always "buck wild" so they say.
One of the boys started doing some explicit motions and rapping about the
action" but did manage to leave out the completely ugly words. Afetr watching his performance, I did my own rap version of responsibility and respect complete with hand gestures. I ended by saying may be he needed to look into a career in the "movies" to which he responded he has a few on youtube right now. Not a vision I wanted to imagine.
The conversation ended with me reminding him what respect was and that some things were not acceptable in public and better left behind closed doors.
Later in the day, when he walked past my room he was telling his friends how I busted a flow and he said something about showing respect yada yada..
I suppose weird is subject to interpretation. Like they say, you have to know your audience.
Few replies, is this the reason there is so many formal and dull teachers? People who teach are afraid to be silly?
No, people just recognize you from your past user names and don't bother replying to your threads much.
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