Connection

What makes a teacher great?

Connection is the most important thing in education.

It’s one thing to know your subject, but if you connect to the heart and soul of it, if it’s a passion, teaching reaches a new level.

The more you can connect to your students the more they will learn from you. The personality of a teacher or lecturer is vital when it comes to success.

However, it’s also important to create independence not reliance, so that people leave able to stand on their own two feet, not needing approval.

Hidden teaching

Teaching doesn’t just apply to children, it’s in all walks of life from the way you’re raised to the people you encounter, those you work with, the friends you have, the people you partner with.

Humans have a terrible habit of ‘teaching’ people who we think they are.

Every word we say has an effect. I was badly affected by the people around me for too many years, because I didn’t know that if people aren’t positive about you then you’re with the wrong people, or in the wrong place, or both.

That’s neither a crime nor mistake, just something you need to change asap, or faster.

I now understand that the incredible nastiness I encountered when I joined the London Ambulance service, was a clear message that I should not be there.

If you’re not connecting take the message and leave without blaming anyone.

Anyone who is reinforcing your idea that you’re not worthy of being liked is just saying you shouldn’t be here. Any boss bullying you is just saying “job hunt”.

Any love betraying you is just saying that they don’t love you, not that you’re unloveable, but that they’re not the one to do that.

Listen and act.

We should also do our utmost not to teach each other that we’re not of value, loveable, or worthy of friendship. We know how much that hurts, let’s not be those people.

The 39 year reset

Back to teachers. I’ve learned so much from so many incredible people sharing amazing information, staring with my friend and mentor Keith McFarlane.

However, at 39 years old I met the most incredible human being I’ve ever met. I’ve talked about him before: Professor Iftikhar Malik of Bath Spa University. He was still there a few years ago.

The moment all 6’ 4” of him walked into the room, and immediately told us that as much as possible he would lecture sitting down, because he didn’t want us to get neck ache looking up at him, I knew I was in the hands of something very special.

His specialties were modern America and The Muslim World. You can imagine how powerful a combination that was if you wanted to understand the world.

Meeting him changed me forever. He commanded so much respect whilst asking for none.

I’ve told the story of how we just couldn’t use his first name as we did with other tutors. He was so upset about it he demanded an answer, looked at me and said “Come on Deb I know you’ll be straight!”

I felt like the biggest, creepiest, teacher’s pet, but lying to him was not an option on any number of levels. So I told him. “You command so much respect we just can’t.”

Everyone in that room, ranging from 18 to 40, nodded. He thanked us profusely then told us that if we didn’t start using his first name he’d fail the lot of us. You see, he was just being himself and saw nothing special in that.

That’s why I say that a good teacher builds strong students.

There is no doubt in my mind that everything I’ve become since goes back to him. The way I live my life, based on love and respect, goes back to him.

To see a person in a position of power doing everything to support and encourage, gently suggesting different ways of looking at things. Never saying “I’m the lecturer and I’m right”, just offering a different avenue to explore, taught me so much.

It showed me the sheer, awesome power of the emotions people now describe as woke. I’d bet anything no one mentioning that man would even consider using those words.

He cared

It was real

It was who he was

It’s who I am

Teachers can make an incredible difference in all walks of life. But it has to be who you are not what you teach.

You matter

And I love you

Deb xx