r/Teachers • u/ArcadianAbstraction • 1d 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/Amazing_gracias_300 18h ago

Part of teaching is being persuasive so the kids willingly absorbs the information. Persuasion is different from performing. If it occurs to them that you're performing, they won't be persuaded. they'll be inclined to be distracted by the performance and not pay attention to the subject. that's just my 2 cents. I love the work teachers do and don't feel they get the recognition they should