Op-ed: Master teachers are thespians
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When I was nearing the end of my K12 career, a first-year female math teacher said to me that students always behave better for male teachers.
I informed her that some of the sternest teachers I encountered as a student were women. One in particular came to mind, Miss Roger, my high school English 12 teacher.
I then began to tell the young teacher about my experiences as a student under Miss Roger's dominion. There were about 30 of us students in Miss Roger's class, which consisted mostly of athletes -- football players and wrestlers.
Miss Roger was very petite in physical stature, being less than five feet tall. To us, she looked as if she was 100 years old. But her most dominant feature was her eyes. Miss Roger could stare down a grizzly bear, making it whimper in fright.
We were scared to death of Miss Roger. When she taught, you could hear nothing but her bellowing voice. You never saw so many burly football players and wrestlers cower when she glared at us. One of her most famous commands was "Don't raise your flags! I will call on you in due time." We had no choice but to learn in her class, and we certainly did. Strict classroom discipline is a powerful student-motivator.
A decade later, Miss Roger attended our class reunion. With a twinkle in her eyes, she told us ex-athletes, "I was quite an actress, wasn't I?"
We revered her. As with all outstanding teachers, what was once trepidation morphed into respect for Miss Roger as we matured into adulthood.
After the Miss Roger account, I advised the young teacher to do the same right from the start. Be an actress.
She listened to my advice and today she is one of the finest teachers in the school system.
THE "NO. 1" MOTIVATOR
One of William Shakespeare's famous quotes from Hamlet is "I must be cruel, only to be kind."
The strongest motivator in human nature is "fear." Individuals have performed great feats when fear was involved. So, what does this have to do with the K12 classroom?
Since liberal educational leaders virtually eliminated Corporal Punishment in our schools, student behavior has gradually declined over the decades. We have seen the advent of students selling controlled substances in the hallways, bringing weapons on school grounds -- and much, much deadlier atrocities in recent years.
And why is this? The students have no fear of consequences. They laugh at detention and suspension. And we know school counseling hasn't succeeded since the same students continue to disrupt the classroom throughout the year.
No wonder there is a shortage of young teachers in our country. Who'd want to work in such a chaotic environment?
I believe the liberal powers-to-be in education meant well instituting the above strategies. But their lenient tactics have failed miserably. Their kinder approach to student-discipline reminds me of an old proverb: "The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intensions."
THE GOOD "STUDENT" OLD DAYS
Let's take a trip back in time. Remember the "Principal's Paddle." At the beginning of the school year, the principal paddled the worse student-offenders.
He would then hang the paddle on the wall behind his desk for everyone to see.
We feared the paddle, behaved in school, and learned in the classroom.
Contrary to what some naive people believe, fear can most definitely produce very positive results, eliminating negative behavior. It surely did for us former students in past school days.
Our teachers demonstrated their affection by caring enough to teach us in structured classrooms where learning occurred. As adults, we cherished their "tough love" approach, and felt very blessed to have been under their care as K12 students.
TEACHERS MUST LEARN TO BE ACTORS
I do not have the influence to change the present liberal agenda in our schools, being a retired K12 teacher. But I do have a compromise for liberals to assist our future teachers to be strong and assertive leaders their classrooms -- the inclusion of "Drama Courses" in the teacher-preparation curriculum.
A teacher must first control the classroom if student-learning is to occur in the K12 environment. Drama classes can offer aspiring teachers "acting" techniques and strategies to be assertive in the classroom. Once the students realize that the teacher is in charge, they begin to listen and learn.
CONCLUSION
As a teacher, I ran a "tight ship." The students knew who the "boss" was in my classroom. I played the role of an austere educator. If the students really knew how much I cared about them, they would have run all over me.
My rules were quite simple: "No talking, no gum." Too many rules only confuse students. Once my rules were established in the classroom, the students had "fun." My pedagogical philosophy was: "Be firm. Be fair. Be consistent. Be humorous."
In retrospect, I guess I was a "teacher-thespian" on the classroom stage.
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Bill Welker, EdD, has taught at every grade level during his K12 career, teaching in the inner-city schools of Pittsburgh, Pa., as well as other public and private schools during his 40-year teaching tenure. He was an adjunct instructor at the university level. Welker has published more than 20 scholarly papers in various educational journals. He also published The Literacy Handbook, which was distributed to schools in eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia. Welker was selected as "Teacher of the Year" by the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce. He was also awarded the "Jasper N. Deahl Award" by West Virginia University for his accomplishments as a certified reading specialist.