No Dark Sarcasms In The Classroom

This was one of my biggest complaints when I was attending high school. There were several teachers that used sarcasm as a teaching method. I use the word teaching lightly as it was more a means of humiliation. One teacher would call on you and badger you to provide an answer to his incomprehensible question. When you finally stuttered and stammered out the incorrect answer, he would scream, “WRONG! WRONG!” Students lived in fear of being picked on in his class. I can tell you that it was not much of a learning experience.

I had another teacher that would pull the same kind of questioning routine but was much more subtle in his humiliation. He would make you come to the board and write out your answer and then pick it apart in front of the class. That was a refreshing learning technique and it made me want to study all the harder so I could be embarrassed more often. Teenagers are certainly sensitive to peer criticism. As adults, we get a little more thickness to the skin. It is the level of experience that comes with age that allows us to gain perspective on making mistakes.

Some adults never get past the terror of making mistakes in public. When we lived in Michigan, I was asked to be lay leader for our small Congregational Church. I gladly accepted. The duties were to greet the congregation, cover any announcements, give the children’s sermon, take collection and pray on it and read the Bible verse for that Sunday. It is so easy to get tongue tied and I often did but I was never embarrassed by it. Everyone makes mistakes and most people are just happy that they are not called on to be up there. I always enjoyed creating a children’s sermon or working through a prayer to thank God for the return of his bounty.

We all have to suffer through the teenage years and being embarrassed is part of that suffering. We should not have to endure the dark sarcasms from those who are responsible to teach us our daily lessons. Teachers leave those kids alone.


Icool

Cobb