Teaching is Still Sharing

New Experiences Never Stop Happening in the Classroom

For teaching to happen, a teacher must believe that they have something to offer. But no amount of self belief can surmount a brick wall cemented with the rubble of self doubt. Self doubt compacted under decades of hammering.

Regular children in regular schools are frequently open to exploring their abilities. They will often succeed in spite of their teachers. Watching and sharing in their growth is the deepest privilege of teaching.  But some children are injected with self doubt. Schools are capable of reinforcing it with daily tirades where children are shouted into deference to trivialities. Faces go red, spittle lubricates terror and the principal approves of the promotion he gave his strong assistant! Self doubt can be a contagion. It can bring down a child and even some who simply come in contact with it. Managing self doubt in a group of children is important. Contented confident children are a wonderful positive influence on a class. Nurturing positive growth for all is a major skill.

Can you teach when an entire group is stricken by self doubt?

Being among my disabled friends has great rewards. Among those rewards is a trust that I find overwhelming. However, each presumes that they are incapable of anything that is put in front of them. But the trust creates a willingness to explore anything that is suggested. Inventing work for these folk is a creative exploration. I am nervous that I am asking too much; they are nervous that they can’t give me enough. We explore together. In this group of disabled people we can presume cruel self doubt! But it is well countered by mutual trust and mutual respect. We giggle together! The warmth can be overwhelming too. Yes, learning happens here; we learn from each other.

Behind this contemplation is work in a type of classroom that, at 61 years old, I had never encountered. The students are men from teenage to mid thirties. They have all been sentenced to community service for various sins against society. It would be easy to make jokes about Daniel and the lions’ den. But after one month of this work, I have to say that the metaphor of the lion is inaccurate. My first generalisation is that these are men who say, “Sorry,” too much. As you can presume self doubt among my disabled friends, so you can presume it among my naughty friends. As for the type of work I am giving these guys… the exploration continues. As I watch my new friends responding to the work I suggest, I will publish the stuff that I think is worth passing on.