Phrases That Worry Me

When teaching in general, there are certain words, phrases or combinations of them that worry me.  I can apply these directly to teaching math, as I myself have used them in the past, and I hear them from others, either when passing the doorway in the hall, or in conversation about what the students are doing.

These are some of my favourites; the ones that worry and bother me the most (especially when it slips out of my own mouth):

- "This isn't hard."  Maybe it is.  It isn't hard for us, because we're adults.  But maybe the concept, the numbers, or something else is hard.  Maybe there are outside forces that we don't know about making it difficult for the child.  Maybe it shouldn't be hard, in our perspective, but if a child struggles over something, simple or not, then isn't it my job to make it not hard?  Isn't the root word of "teacher": TEACH? 

- "I've already taught them this, so ..."  So what?  Maybe you taught it, but did they learn it?  Did they really, deeply learn it?  Did they experience it beyond a lecture, a trite activity, or something that made sense in my/your mind?  You may have already presented it, but it doesn't mean they know it.  And that is the rest of the job.  A teacher might teach something, but until a teacher has observed, made adjustments, and ensured a solid understanding of the materials, the job isn't done.  Even if the lesson was already taught.

- "I haven't taught this yet, so ..." So what?  Maybe they know it.  Maybe it's simple for some of them.  Maybe our words convolute things and confuse them, and then we start saying, "But I already taught them this," even though they already knew it.  Meaningful, open diagnostic assessment not only saves time, but can act as a teacher in itself, if not for the students, then for us as teachers; in fact, something that a child creates may end up teaching the other students in some way, at some point.

- "That child is a 3." Or a 2, or a 1, or a 4.  In other words, a B, or a C, D or A.  You know what?  You're probably wrong.  Maybe your assignments only allow the child to achieve that.  Maybe the environment, the classroom climate, only allows it.  Maybe that child normally scores a C, but actually gets it.  Our jobs as teachers are to teach kids, not to keep their level steady with what every teacher before us has pegged the child as.

There are millions more, but I'll leave it at that.  I know I've said these things in the past, but the more I learn about teaching, the more I learn that I don't know as much as I once thought I did, and the more I learn that teaching is a careful art - a dance that requires two-way communication, flexibility and empathy.