You know what grinds my gears, kinda?
When I talk to my friends about the teachers we had back in high school, it would always be about how we got punished since we were annoying students who created havoc in the classroom.
We would reminisce and laugh about it. One time, me and two friends were not allowed to go for lunch break cause we kept talking loudly during mandarin class. The teacher made us sit in an old, dingy storeroom instead. We made the most of it by pretending we were robbers and shooting other teachers with finger guns.
And then somehow today, we would conclude that they were good teachers. Fantastic! Filled with wisdom and knowledge!
Were they actually good teachers? Fuck no.
Playful nostalgia get in the way of proper hindsight. If anything I find that many teachers in my past used fear to instil knowledge in the classroom. They used an iron fist to discipline us clowns, which in turn set us straight to buck the fuck up. (That said, humiliating a student in front of everyone else does not fucking help at all. Period.)
But again, does this make them good teachers? I don’t think so. Good drill sergeants maybe.
Teaching isn’t easy, but it’s a noble job. To automatically assume that a teacher is good, much less inspiring just because they gave us some fond memories is simply ridiculous.ou know what grinds my gears, kinda?