Teacher Tip #19

Teacherscribe’s Teaching Tip #19

Teaching is always personal.

When you are about to deliver bad news to a student, think about this before you utter the words that I’ve been guilty of uttering before: “This isn’t personal . . .”

What was I thinking?

Of course teaching is personal.  Of course learning is personal.  It doesn’t matter whether I’m offering a student praise or criticism, it’s always personal.

Any time you devote as much time as students “devote” (and I use that term loosely knowing that some students don’t exactly devote time to class . . . but most of mine do take it seriously) to coming to class and doing the work, of course they’re going to take everything I say personally.

Now, I choose my words carefully . . . because it’s always personal.