Knowing yourself
Students are able to read instructors far better that what we imagine sometimes. When your personal life comes in conflict it is sometimes difficult to keep out of the clasroom but it is certainly a matter that must stay out. By knowing yourself you can put all other things aside and concentrate on the matters at hand and that is developing your students.
I agree, your students are constantly looking to you for guidance and reassurance. It is easy to let problems in your life overwhelm you, but trying to be an example on how I handle those problems for my students really helps.
Hi William,
Thank you for sharing this example of being a professional even though the challenges of life were pushing down on you. Your loss was felt deeply but you were able to plan and implement the teaching that was needed by your students. I commend you for your effort in working through this difficult time. Keep up the good work.
Gary
"To thine own self be true...." A quote from Shakespeare. This was advice given to Hamlet. Warren Bennis, a student and author of Leadership, echos this sentiment. He says that knowing yourself is the foremost requirement for being an effective leader.
I had my most difficult time in the classroom last week. My mother-in-law died on Tuesday. My teaching schedule is 2 classes on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Needless to say, my wife was very upset as was the rest of the family. As an adjunct instructor, my options for dealing with the situation are limited. So, I put on my best face and worked through each of my classes. My students were aware that something was affecting me. With a service on Friday night and the funeral on Saturday, I let me class out an hour early on Friday, confident that I had covered all the material and had successfully gotten the student teams working on a project, the first phase of which is due this week. I thanked them for their attention and noted let them know why I was leaving early. When asked why I had bothered to come in at all, given the circumstances, I told them that I had a duty to them; they would encounter difficult issues and events in their personal and work life and we must persevere and overcome these obstacles if we expect to be successful.
Hi Patricia,
I agree with you. Students can be very intuitive when it comes to picking up on the body language of the person they are watching/listening too. Leaving personal issues at home is not always easy to do but as professionals, we need to do just that.
