Lessons from Teaching

[Brijrian]

Wow, I just finished my first Wicca 101 class and I sure learned some things...made some screw ups, did some things right, and learned a lot about myself. (Which was part of the point!)

Among the things I learned/were driven home that I had only a theoretical understanding of:
1. Don't let personal emotions interfere with treating a student with integrity.
2. Don't be egocentric/focus on self in class.
3. Don't give advice to students if they don't ask for it (unless it is a dangerous situation, and then act appropriately).
4. Make the students feel heard, important, and supported in making the right decisions for themselves.
5. Know yourself, and speak your truth, allowing for others to have their own truth.
6. Establish clear boundaries and rules at the beginning of class to avert disaster later. (I had my co-teacher step down because she developed a love interest with one of the students...and he had a love interest with her and another student in the class...ugh-please gods, never again!)
7. Make sure that the rules and other communications are understood and clear to prevent misunderstanding/creative misinterpretation.

Since my first teaching stint (as an outreach from my coven) was such a lesson, I was wondering what you all have learned as you have taught, and what kind of disasters befell you. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one!

[Labrys]

I am so very glad I never venture to teach!  The most I ever do, anti-social old thing that I am, is offer a useful book list.

[Brijrian]

It's a totally different experience, and potentially a mess. Taught me more about myself, though. I definitely feel that I learned a lot and gained a lot of confidence (and dragged out and delt with some personal issues I was unaware of before). I totally felt like I was undergoing an initiation the last couple of months. But I am glad I did it, and *definitely* am gonna do things differently next time. 

[Zenon]

hello!

this is such an interesting topic, I have no teaching experience but have a couple friends who do, and they have exactly the same issues.  this is cool, I'm sorry I can't share any experience (I envy you but at the same time I'm terrified of teaching).

[Nimue Serentaenu]

Hello!
"it's potencially a mess"... I totally can relate to that!


I tried to teach, and my experiences were very simillar to yours. In my case, the emotions got in the middle and I had trouble handling some situations that jumped from the academic to the personal territory. (somehow one has to separate friendship from class)

I stopped teaching ever since, and ended up a little scared of it. I loved the experience because I learned a lot through it, and I miss it very much, but... I think I'll leave it aside for a while. Still lack of the required emotional balance.

[Brijrian]

Well kudos to you for knowing your limits and boundaries. I did not teach people I knew: the only one in the class that I knew before hand was the co-teacher, and that relationship became a tad strained (as you might imagine). So I'm keeping some distance for a little bit to regain compassion and perspective.

It's not so fun when your delusions about other people shatter!

[Nimue Serentaenu]

EXACTLY!
thanks for sharing this with us Brijrian, it helped me.

[Lark]

I've been teaching for nearly 20 years now and I think that the most important thing that I've learned in that time is that I can only teach someone what they are willing to put in the work to learn.  Teaching is a two-way relationship.  A student has to work at learning just as hard as you work at teaching.  Otherwise you are both wasting your time. 

That's why over the years I've become a real stickler for insisting that students come to class when it is scheduled and on time and that they turn in assignments completely and on time.  Of course I make allowances for genuine emergencies and life happenings.  But if a student simply can't bother to show up for class or if they never find the time to complete their assignments we are both wasting our time trying to move forward.

-Lark-

[Brijrian]

I've been teaching for nearly 20 years now and I think that the most important thing that I've learned in that time is that I can only teach someone what they are willing to put in the work to learn.  Teaching is a two-way relationship.  A student has to work at learning just as hard as you work at teaching.  Otherwise you are both wasting your time. 

-Lark-

Oh, oh yes. Very true. I categorize that with my #3: "Don't give advice to students if they don't ask for it" because they aren't going to listen anyway if they aren't ready, and aren't going to bother with the work to fix the problem.

I appreciate the way you phrased it. Teaching can very easily be thought of as a 1 way street--teacher to student. But you are quite right, it is a two way, if it is an honest teaching, and if it is truly meaningful.

Good points about the homework and such. Did you give written homework often?