Teaching is more than just imparting knowledge
It’s not so rare to see an inconsiderate comment on social network. One somehow caught my attention although it was not a particularly rude comment. There’s this group that I joined; it’s made up of teachers of English language, both native and non-native speakers of English who share information and knowledge. Every week someone posts a multiple-choice question of C1/C2 level to which some of us try to put the correct answer in the comment. Some questions can be unusual that many of us become unsure of the correct answer. As a consequence, there are right and wrong answers. I also had my share of mistakes. The interesting part I love the most is discussion. When we have doubts, we try to clarify the structures, grammar and usage of words. I see very constructive debates and comments; they make me think and revise what I’ve learnt in the past years. This group seldom has rude comments and exchanges and mistakes are shared in a jokingly manner.
Last week, there was a comment that said this: But I wonder who replied here are teachers of English? Because in this case I’m worried!
Teachers also make mistakes. Teachers also keep learning every day. In fact, teachers who think that they know every single thing about a subject will ceased to learn. I check my dictionary all the time to make sure I get the meanings and pronunciations right. Big part of the job is to prepare a lesson well and I am sure we all do that in order to impart our knowledge well. A mistake in answering a difficult or unusual grammar does not render that person as unqualified teacher.
If that person who gave that comment is a teacher herself, she should understand the importance of teachers supporting each other and exchanging constructive opinions. When I first started to teach, I always had a strong feeling of inadequacy thinking that I didn’t have full knowledge to be standing in front of a class. As a point of reference, I felt it was my duty and responsibility to know everything. Imparting knowledge takes more than that — on top of the knowledge, a teacher has to find ways to engage learners, being open about making mistakes and creating a space conducive to sharing and participation. A teacher is not someone who is right all the time, he/she is a facilitator that makes the learning process come alive as opposed to a robot or computer.
