For Teachers

When I lectured in Europe, there were a fair number of British attendees (Go figure!) I learned a lot of new words – in English, no less – that I never knew existed. Faced with the realization that I hadn’t a clue what my British students were talking about most of the time, I reached the only reasonable conclusion possible: Sadly, people from England can’t speak English.

HA! (Or, OI!, as they loved to exclaim.) I was wrong, wasn’t I? There IS more than one way to speak English….apparently. And there is more than one way to TEACH, PREACH or REACH students. So, why not use the best way possible?

I think every teacher can become a Master Teacher. It’s not easy being ANY KIND of teacher, of course. And if the job description of a master teacher was honestly written, it would probably run something like this:

Counselor
Leader
Aunt/Uncle/Mom/Dad
Helper
Motivator
Mentor
Inspirer
Humorist
Disciplinarian
Cheer Leader…
….and the list goes on.

But only two types of teachers are remembered by students: The GOOD ones and the BAD ones. The BAD ones stand out more – unfortunately – because MOST teachers AREN’T bad. And the BAD ones REALLY, really ARE such stinkers! And not just bad teachers, either – bad principals, bad guidance counselors, bad secretaries – really, the truth about schools is that they CAN BE a like a garden patch – full of weeds, not wonderful flowers. And it isn’t always a teacher’s fault – despite what the media and politicians often like to claim.

Truth is…Kids are learning machines – they can AND WILL learn WITHOUT teachers…and parents…and psychologist, too. But take it from me – WHAT they will learn, on their own, without guidance or feedback or other helpful assistance from experienced guides. mentors and elders – won’t be much good to them. And it may not be any good to anyone at all.

And here’s the shocking secret: Teachers can’t teach.

That’s right: Teachers can’t teach. Rather, It is up to the LEARNER to learn. All teachers can do is either ENHANCE a learner’s ability and opportunity to learn or RETARD it, STOP IT or make it more DIFFICULT for a learner to learn. That’s it.

A lousy teacher is not a bad person, it’s just a person who makes it hard for a learner to learn. And there are LOTS of bad teachers out there – in pre-school, kindergarten, elementary middle, high school, college, graduate school – even in teacher’s colleges!

I know: I’ve seen them in action. (One of the worst teachers I ever saw was teaching a law school class in Massachusetts – home of the best colleges and universities known to man! All right, maybe that’s a slight exageration…) And I’ve had several as patients and coaching clients and as students in my seminars. I’ve even had them in school, college and graduate school as my own teachers and professors! But I’ve had lots of good ones, too.

And that’s JUST where I might be able to help. Because surprisingly enough, it’s just as easy to be a GOOD teacher, a REALLY GOOD teacher, or a MASTER teacher, as it is to be a BAD teacher! (You’ve got to be at school all day anyway, right? Why not do the simple things you need to do to be a REALLY, REALLY GOOD teacher since you already showed up for work. Right?)

So let’s get started. I’m ready whenever you are.

Have you ever wondered what type of tests are available for academic and other challenges that children, adolescents and adults may be facing?  You can learn about the psychological assessments that Dr. A offers by clicking HERE. If you are wondering what counseling, therapy or coaching services Dr. A. can provide, you can click HERE.