We all know them. Some people become them, some people work next to them, you may even be one, although I hope that you are not. Teachers with big egos.
Everyone has an ego. It's an essential part of your identity and sense of self as a human being. However, teaching is a profession in which you need to carefully monitor the size of your ego. I'm not saying you can't be proud of work you do as a teacher. If you have confidence in your work and how it will transpire in a classroom or at an event, that is wonderful. However, ego can take hold of a teacher easily. Abraham Lincoln said "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power." We are in front of young, impressionable people everyday. Students are entrusted to us, and we wield power over them in the classroom. By the very design of our education system, they must listen, they must comply and they must obey. In addition to this, whilst we are facilitators of the curriculum we teach, we also become the subject. Students observe us, interact with us, see how we speak, work and interact with others. For very young students,we may be the first person outside the family who they connect with. The understanding they derive from this relationship forms a large part of how they come to view the world. Teachers with ego problems are easy to spot, but difficult to work with. They are boring, difficult and inflexible. They can be argumentative, indirectly or directly insulting and condescending. They complain during meetings, during PL, in emails. They talk over the top of people. They volunteer for jobs and then don't ask for help if they are struggling. They blame external factors for failure, rather than seeing failure as a chance for growth. When they meet a challenge, they often respond by becoming defensive, aggressive, dismissive or ignoring the problem, rather than working to find solutions to it. "How many times do I have to tell you the same thing? " "These new curriculum/pedagogy ideas/teaching methods are not going to change how I teach " "That teacher doesn't push his/her student's " Ever heard yourself saying things like this? I am going to be honest and say that I have. Situation one is probably something we have all thought in our heads, because the truth is sometimes our students tune out. Sometimes they don't listen. It's frustrating, but guess what? They are people too, albeit little ones. Teaching may be frustrating, and nobody likes repeating themselves, but our job is to teach, and if they don't understand, teach it differently. If you have been in education for a while, you will be familiar with the second phrase because every five years or so, the goal posts of how we teach, assess and grade will change. Education is constantly changing and evolving, and although it can be very draining to unpack new curriculum documents these changes are not random, nor are they unimportant! New research about how our students learn is always being done, and society is changing so rapidly that it is a part of our job to grow and learn and change with our students. The last one always saddens me a little; teachers criticizing other teachers. There is something we can learn from every teacher. Just read that sentence again. There is something you can learn from every teacher. Yes, even if it's how to not do something. Remain humble and be nice. Workplace gossip can come back to bite you on the a**. An effective teacher must be a learner, open to new knowledge and experiences. Effective teachers understand criticism and seek to improve their classroom practice and programmes at all times. They are guided by what is best for the students, and model the highest aspects of behaviour and conduct. Effective teachers are open to criticism. They try new things. They are humble. Most of all, effective teachers are incredible role models, exemplifying the outlook and growth mindset needed to be a life long learner. This is who we all need to strive to be. And if you meet a teacher with a huge ego, smile nicely and keep on walking. If you are feeling particularly cheeky, send them the link to this blog post.
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