To Teach, I Must First Not Teach

I always thought that my goal as a teacher was to be the best teacher. I wanted students to be inspired, be curious to dive in the math themselves, to ask the right questions, maybe even adore me. I would go into office hours or a class thinking I knew the best way to present the right idea, but I wouldn’t get the results. Ever done something like this and felt numb and exhausted afterward? That feeling is a signal that you need to change something.

Ironically, making these my primary goals made it impossible to achieve them at all. If you’ve fallen into this trap, I invite you to slow down and take a step back. Ask these questions:

What do I have full control over?

I do not have control over the student’s background and prior experiences nor how they will react to me or the presentation. I do have power over what behavior and energy I exhibit.

What do I truly want for this lesson?

If the only thing that went well was that the students were inspired and learning, I wouldn’t be happy. What’s missing is that I have core needs too. I want to show up as my authentic self and connect with the students like human beings do sometimes.

What do the students want for this lesson?

Some students want to dive into the topic. Some are curious, and just want to listen in. Some are sitting there thinking why they are there when they have a billion other responsibilities. And some are thinking about when’s lunch. I can’t control the student’s motivations.

Notice that if I’m authentic and empathetic, I can work with where each student is at! I can be mindful of the students who don’t want to be there. Give insights for the students that are curious, and guide the students for want to dive into it themselves. Now the goals of inspiring, being admired, and learning follow naturally. It doesn’t need to be there for me to fel like I succeeded; it’s a cherry on the top.

What can I do to be authentic and empathetic? Now it’s time to put on your engineering hat and to experiment! What are you waiting for?

Summary

I’ll make a reference to One Piece, the 1,000+ episode anime that’s still going. Luffy says he wants to find the One Piece and become King of the Pirates, but his real goal is to have fun along the way, build strong friendships, and bring justice with what power he does have. He chooses life before treasure. Which is the real treasure all along.

Acknowledgements: I’d like to thank Rob, Karel, and Erica as well as everyone in the cohort from the engineering leadership certification program for shaping the way I think about growth. Thanks to all my past students for putting up with my in good and bad times. And the biggest thanks to my friend Jeffrey Pierce for pushing me out of this mental barrier.