Last week we had Open House, and I met students who had not completed their summer assignment. That’s fine. We can work around that. One of these students told me that even though they had not finished the assignment, they wanted to be in my class because I was a “cool teacher.”
Student compliments are precious things, but “cool teacher” gave me some pause. Here’s what “cool teacher” sounds like to me, what it might mean to students, and who I’d rather be instead.
This post this post may contain affiliate links. Please read the Terms of Use.
What “Cool Teacher” Sounds Like to Me
This could be all a matter of perception, but when I hear “cool teacher,” I think of the teacher that writes infinite hall passes. I think about the teacher that gets too overwhelmed to enforce classroom procedures and expectations. I think of the teacher that ends up being friends with students rather than friendly with students.
Maybe I’m wrong here, but “cool teacher” leaves me with an image of a teacher that has designed a classroom without challenge or rigor. Sometimes the reality of my classroom is me challenging students, them resisting or being skeptical, me encouraging, and the students coming around to see the value of a particular challenge. Other times, I unroll an idea or a skill that has a high engagement factor and students buy in before they even realize how difficult certain concepts can be.
What “Cool Teacher” Might Mean to Students
Like I said, students and I might just have a different understanding of “coolness.” In high school, I was certainly not a “cool kid.” I was on the debate team, I did all my homework, and I worked hard to ace AP tests. I was far more like Hermione Granger than Regina George.
However, for students who are still living in Regina’s world, being a “cool teacher” is probably a compliment. In a world of mean girls, the coolest person might be the one who can make students feel welcome, comfortable, and capable rather than alien, awkward, and insecure.
Who I’d Rather Be
Somewhere between my perception and students’ intended meaning of “cool” lies the truth. Regardless of what that truth might be, there are so many other things I’d rather be. I’d rather be the enthusiastic teacher–the teacher who is excited about her content regardless of how tired she is, how cold it is outside, or how much money she doesn’t make. Enthusiasm is contagious, and students who see a teacher excited about her content also become excited about her content. But more importantly, excited students make it their content. And they feel comfortable applying equal or greater outward enthusiasm to their own interests.
I’d rather be the listening teacher, the one who talks to students without anticipating her own response (something I’m still working on). The listening teacher hears students and accepts them. When needed, she finds ways to help students listen to themselves, she finds ways to connect students with other professionals who need to hear them, and she builds a classroom where students listen to one another.
I’d rather be the grateful teacher. My word for the year is grateful, so I’d rather be the teacher who is grateful for each of her students. This is the teacher who expresses that gratitude without sarcasm or expectation. And this is the teacher who models a grateful worldview for students. That’s who I’d rather be.
Which teacher do you want to be? Let us know in the comments.
