Don't trust a skinny cook - Vinne Vrotny - Teacher Hypocrisy

Adults want comfort, but expect students to go into [the] discomfort zone.  Are we hypocrites?

 from Vinnie Vrotny - Blog post   Multi-faceted Refractions

I live with the thought that I am a hypocrite.  I am a teacher almost every day I implore, cajole, push, and pull students to learn more about the immediate subject and themselves.  And yet I feel guilty when I don't do the same thing.

To find today's quote, I Googled "quotes teacher hypocrisy" and got no love.  I got quotes from Don King, Malcom X, Alan Dershowitz (black pot) and others.  But no listed, no famous quotes about teachers and hypocrisy.  

Then I Googled "teacher hypocrisy" and oh boy, were there hits!.  Grass roots education; Condor Voice; I, Hypocrite Teacher; and today's quote were just a start.  

I realized that I am not alone.  

I must admit I also hate lazy teachers.  They are robbing students' time.  Teaching is a hard job, both emotionally and physically.  The adage, "Never work harder than your students" is frankly beyond me.  Yes, getting the students to work is important but the imagery that sets up appears to go counter to the explanation by the author of the book with that title.  Maybe one day I'll get the book to see what's actually in it.  Personally, all of the great teachers I've worked with have a grueling job.

Part of the reason it is grueling is that great teachers never stop learning.  Some read on their subject.  Some read on teaching techniques.  Some read about what other teachers are doing.  These are teachers I trust.  While I don't like the saying "never trust a skinny cook," I do believe that a teacher who isn't learning shouldn't be trusted.

And I love learning about about teaching.  Diving into Dr. Dweck's work about Mindset and going down the rabbit hole with her interviews on how it is being abused.  Reading about the Bandura's countering and complementary theory of Self-efficacy.  Reflecting on it and adjusting my teaching is wonderful.  

I also love learning about art and artists, architecture, science, and, most recently,  the psychology of happiness with the Coursera course: Positive Psychology: Martin E.P. Seligman's Visionary Science.  

And yet I still feel guilty.  But, I also teach my students to be kind to themselves.  And I think I am not being kind enough to myself.  I learned in the psychology of happiness course to do more of what makes you happy.  That's not to say to walk around wearing the smile of a simpleton.  I took the VIA happiness test as per the homework and learned a number of things about myself:

Your Top Strength

Love of learning -

You love learning new things, whether in a class or on your own. You have always loved school, reading, and museums-anywhere and everywhere there is an opportunity to learn.

Your Second Strength

Creativity, ingenuity, and originality -

Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are. You are never content with doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible.

Strength #3

Curiosity and interest in the world -

You are curious about everything. You are always asking questions, and you find all subjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery.

Strength #4

Appreciation of beauty and excellence -

You notice and appreciate beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.

Strength #5

Zest, enthusiasm, and energy -

Regardless of what you do, you approach it with excitement and energy. You never do anything halfway or halfheartedly. For you, life is an adventure.

So, the tested hypothesis goes like this:  To be happier, do more of what makes you happy.  That's it.  So, maybe I am being hard on someone who doesn't have "love of learning" as one of the top five traits.  Screw that - if you don't love learning, why are you a teacher?  To pull a paycheck?  

What did I learn?  That maybe I am in the correct profession.  I tried engineering, research, and development, and law.  All of those require some learning, or at least the areas that I held positions, but for me, teaching is (mostly) joyful.

I also never realized that beauty and excellence were so important to me.  I always treated going to a museum as a reward.  Looking through an art book or watching a documentary on architecture as cheating.  But now, I have an understanding that it is important to my health to do that.  Now I don't feel guilty.

I also don't feel guilty about the time I spend on this blog.  This is an act of creativity, which is one of other Top 5.  

So, stay in action, do healthy things, and maybe the appearance of guilt thoughts will diminish.

  

Gratitudes:  chocolate cake, scales, gel pens.