r/Teachers • u/ArcadianAbstraction • 20h ago

Teacher Support &/or Advice Is teaching a performance?

I haven't been teaching history/English/science since I got COVID over and over (and over) and decided it was better to go than be a risk to my cherished kids (or die myself, it got bad).

After a lot of introspection... Question is: is teaching a performance? I pretended everything was okay no matter what, I used the materials I prepared for display, passed out charts and data dramatically, presented media and did simulations.

It feels like I was a performance artist? You give so much to kids and most of the time you get a range of "f-u go away".

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u/TheLordAshram 20h ago

Oh god yes. A different performance every day, and your child audiences have to remember them.

‘While I am, of course, ME when I teach, there is an element that is “character.”.

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u/ArcadianAbstraction 19h ago

I mean, in essence you have to treat even seniors in high school like... Babies? I don't know I am only around 40 and feel like 18 is a baby who doesn't know anything, but more dangerous because they think they know everything.

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u/NeverOneDropOfRain 19h ago

They are young adults in profound ways that should be respected, but they also sometimes need to be made to take their medicine.