The Ego in the Classroom

 “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” ~William Arthur Ward

Research has suggested rather strongly, that the one factor most responsible for the increase in academic achievement over time is the quality of the classroom teacher. That is why I am beginning this trek into the world of the ego with teachers for it is located in each individual the seeds for growth. As awareness grows, so will the power of each individual schoolhouse to motivate students to learn and to maximize their potential, for that is really the purpose of school. Yes, we want children to be prepared for life, but what better way to shove them out of the educational womb than with the confidence and tools to learn anything.

My first encounter with a teacher’s ego was in my first year of school. In first grade, I remember that we started the day with a prayer; I believe it was the Lord’s Prayer.  At the time, that was not offensive to the predominately Catholic and Protestant makeup of our small town.  For some strange reason, I thought God resided in the heavens, which, of course, were above us. So when instructed to pray, I looked up – this just seemed logical to me at the time. I was immediately chastised by Miss Martin, who demanded that I bow my head. That was not a problem; kids got yelled at all the time in those days – Dr. Spock’s book, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care was still in its first edition.

What made this event stick in my memory was when the itinerant music teacher arrived, Miss Martin, in front of the entire class, asked him what he thought of a young man who did not bow his head during prayer. I had to be embarrassed; heck, I was only six years old. I’ve often looked back on that scenario and wondered what would motivate a teacher to do that to such a young and impressionable child. Since then, I have seen much worse and for a long time, I stopped asking that question, because I thought for some, it was just human nature; a product of nature or nurture.

A teacher has power and the ego loves that. Much like a judge in a courtroom, you would hope that, intrinsically, teachers would know that they have a responsibility not to abuse that power -- not to take anything personally. But it is all personal with the ego! Putting down others is a way the ego reinforces the fact that it is better than someone else. Prejudice and bias are a byproduct of the ego and to a lesser degree this is the same cause for student maltreatment in school.

Several years ago, I coauthored an article about the power of personal relationship building, because I felt then and even more now that this is the gateway to learning. If a student feels wanted, cared for, and that his/her teacher really wants and expects them to do well, that young person will attempt anything. Likewise, if that same child feels unwanted, uncared for, and that his/her success is not something the teacher wants, that student will not achieve. In my opinion, this is the key to motivating the unmotivated; to open the door for the struggling student to enter the exciting world of learning.

The first category of this powerful teaching strategy is “knowing your students and allowing them to know you.” Think back on that teacher you felt was special. Did he or she invite you in to see a glimpse of their life outside of school? Did that person occasionally share family milestones or an event? As a student growing up in the 50s and 60s, my classmates and I often conspired to get the teacher off the subject and to tell us something personal. The motive was twofold, of course – one to get out of doing work, but the other was more under the surface – we wanted to connect with that teacher; we wanted to know that they were real, like our own parents were real to us.

We did not do this with all our teachers – as most students do, we had built in ego-meters. We knew what members of the faculty might relax a bit and share with us. For the ego is the great distance keeper in education. It unconsciously acts to form a divide that reminds us not to get to close. After all, we have the power and do not want to abdicate it or create the illusion that we are not in control.

This whole process begins on the first days of school. In my teacher education classes I often refer to the beginning of Dead Poets’ Society, where there is a vignette of three different teachers on the first day of school; one jumps right in and begins declensions of the Latin noun for farmer; a second warns what will happen if a homework assignment is not handed in; and Robin Williams character, of course, urges his students to “seize the day.” Ironically, in the end, the teacher who built personal relationships and who motivated his students to go above and beyond the curriculum gets fired; an interesting educational metaphor – one that resonates with most people who watch the film.

I encourage my veteran and prospective teachers to get to know their students in the first few days of the school year, but some resist. “But Dr. Tom,” they urge, “if I do that, they will expect me to be nice all year. They will take advantage of me. I will get fired for not being tough.” That’s the ego talking – it fears losing control. It wants to spend the first day going over the rules like the geometry teacher in the film clip. It doesn’t want to smile until Christmas. It confuses being stern and tough with “rigor.” It keeps saying, “When I was a student …” You get the picture.

Beginnings are so important – I often tell the story of my daughter, who as an elementary student had an ego barometer built in. I knew when she arrived home after that first day whether it was going to be a good year or an unproductive one. My advice to teachers, don’t let your ego dictate what kind of year a student will have. Make that first day one of promise and fun!