I have wanted to teach since I graduated from high school, though the subjects and students have changed throughout the years. But with my love for psychology, which has intensified over the years, I decided to take concrete steps to share this amazing knowledge with students. With the unexpected opportunities that were given to me, I am now teaching in two institutions close to my heart, and have begun to realize that my romantic notions need some adjustment. This reality check was largely due to my students' performance in their first exam. I had high expectations which most did not meet. These results led me to reflect on what went wrong, and I realized that my experience as a student is probably very far from that of the average student.
Extrinsic Motivation at Its Finest
I went through most of college with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge - learning something new was a source of excitement, I listened to my professors intently, read and highlighted my books and recited like the nerd that I am. Now that I have changed roles in the classroom, it dawned on me that most students do not share this enthusiasm for learning. It may partly be due to the excessively extrinsic focus of many students, i.e., the need to fulfill class requirements to meet a certain grade (high honors for some, just passing for others). But blaming it on them will get me nowhere. Teachers also have a responsibility to instill this love for learning when it is not yet present in their students. Now the challenge lies in figuring this out. Step one probably involves remembering that students have different interests. Integrating all these in the class and going beyond my own interests would be essential. I'm going to have to let go of the things that I consider important and try to focus on what THEY consider important. An exercise in empathy and role-taking is probably in order so that what I teach will be relevant to my students' experiences too.
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