What is a teacher?

02.04.06, 01:31

I had a bit of correspondence on the private part of this, and I won't say
who sent me this, it isn't relevant anyway, but someone was annoyed at me for
saying over on Maggie's group that you couldn't be a language teacher. He
calls me "pan" for some reason, maybe he missed the fact that I'm British,
and a "pan" is something I use to fry chips in, but never mind about that. I
just wanted to share the response I wrote to him and see what anyone here
thought about it.

My correspondent wrote:

> Pańskie stwierdzenie, że nie ma
> czegoś takiego jak nauczyciel języka bardzo mnie zabolało, bo
> poddało w wątpliwość fakt mego istnienia w sferze zawodowej od
> ponad pięćdziesięciu lat. Uważam jednak, że to Pan jest w błędzie,
> na dowód czego mogę przedstawić stosowne zaświadczenia z wielu
> instytucji, które mnie zatrudniały i płaciły mi skromne ale
> istotne wynagrodzenie przez pół wieku.
> Słyszałem też czasami - to prawda że niezbyt często - od swoich
> uczniów i studentów, że jestem całkiem niezłym nauczycielem. I
> komu tu wierzyć?

Well, I don't know, maybe I should have replied with kitchen implements as
well, but this is the internet, so, you know, fork that, and this is what I
said:

Jezeli potrafisz budzic ich zainteresowanie i dawac im bodzcy do
nauki we wlasnym zakresie, a nie tylko na twoich lekcjach, wtedy
jestes dobrym nauczycielem. Jezeli tylko uzaleznisz ich od siebie,
jestes zlym nauczycielem, nawet jesli im sie bardzo podobasz i
proponuja ci podwyzke.

Celtowie byly znani jako nauczycieli Europy - dzieki ich cichych
wysilkow chrzescijanstwo i tez klasyczne nauki przetrwali tak
zwane "dark ages" i zwycizyli w renaissance. Ale oni sami nie byli
glownym dziedzicem tego, bo uczien przewlaszczal na siebie te
nauke i stal lepszy od mistrza. I to jest w celtickim characterze
do dzis, ze niewaznie jezeli ty nie jestes wiodacym, jezeli tylko
wplywales dobrze na tych wiodacych. W Wielkiej Brytanii
najbardziej utalentowani nauczycieli sa albo szkockiego albo
walijskiego pochodzenia. A tutaj w Polsce nauczyciel jest w
pogardzie - "zebys uczyl cuzde dzieci" to jest prawie klecie dla
Polakow, naprzyklad. Oni lubia, zeby trzymac wiedzy dla siebie i
dla wlasnych dzieci, i wyslac dzieci do dobrych nauczycieli aby
dostali wiedze, ale bardzo nie lubia generalnie rozdawac wiedze. W
spolkach komercyjnych komunikacja jest uposledzona, bo polski
menadzer nie chce udzielic informacje z podwladnymi, aby tylko on
byl waznym i potrzebnym.

Z tym na mysli, jestem tym bardziej wdzieczny, ze powiedziales
mnie o moich bledach. Ten artykul stoi od tygodni, czytany chyba
przez setki twych rodakow, i tylko jeden czlowiek raczyl
powiedziec mnie o bledzie, ktory moze 100 ludzi zauwazyli -
naprawde szanse sa takie, ze mozesz akurat byc dobrym nauczycielem!

Jak ja wiem, ze sam jestem dobrym nauczycielem? Nie z tego, ze
ludzi mnie o tym mowili. Slowa sa jak jeki bezmyslnych oblakanych
kretynow czasmi, a jednak sa tymi samymi slowami, jak sie znajduje
w ustach medrcow. Ja wiem ze jestem dobrym nauczycielem, poniewaz
wiele moich bywszych uczniow dzisiaj piastuje bardziej ode mnie
seniorne pozycje w biznesie, zarabiaja wiecej, i nawet jeden z
nich dzisiaj jest moim szefem. I polacy, nie zrozumiejaci etyke
nauczyciela po celtyjsku, jaki jak mam w swojej krwi od tuzinkow
pokolen, dziwia sie ze naprade ciesze sie z tego faktu.

Pokaz mi jednego z twoich uczniow, ktory lepiej zna uczony fach
niz ty, i ktory powie, ze byles albo jestes jego nauczycielem, i
ja powiem wtedy, ze jestes nauczycielem z prawdziwego wydarzenia i
z tradycji celtyckiego.

(I didn't get an answer yet, by the way.)
    • easystreet Re: What is a teacher? 02.04.06, 02:52
      I other words, if it doesn't have the stamp of approval from a Brit, it ain't
      worth sh...???
      I'm surprised that your correspondent was sooo polite with you. That said, I
      agree with some of your statements: that the student must surpass the master,
      but we do have an expression in Polish which is often said with respect and
      admiration: "Uczeń przerósł mistrza." A good teacher is glad when that happens
      and often does not see the results of his/her effort until many years later.
      So Celt or no Celt, all apprentices are expected to excell at their craft. The
      same goes for students who are challenged by good teachers.
      I also agree with your observation that some teachers are on an ego/power
      trip and treat students as inferior creatures with half a brain. That is not
      the sole domain of teachers in Poland now, is it? Could you explain to me the
      high turnover rate of teachers in inner city schools in England and why England
      is so desperate for techers that they hire from Canada? Could it be that they
      have not produced that many goooood students themselves who would want to be
      goooood teachers, or is it just the lousy pay, eh?
      • marcus_anglikiem Re: What is a teacher? 02.04.06, 10:16
        i'm pretty sure it's the lousy pay, and the low social status. if you have
        (had) (a) good teacher/s, you can do a lot better than become one yourself.
      • usenetposts Re: What is a teacher? 02.04.06, 13:47
        easystreet napisała:

        > I other words, if it doesn't have the stamp of approval from a Brit, it ain't
        > worth sh...???

        It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that bling.

        > I'm surprised that your correspondent was sooo polite with you.

        It pissed me off, actually. This is not some ruddy virtual croquet lawn.
        I don't need to be passed electronic cucumber sandwiches.

        > That said, I
        > agree with some of your statements: that the student must surpass the master,
        > but we do have an expression in Polish which is often said with respect and
        > admiration: "Uczeń przerósł mistrza." A good teacher is glad when that
        happens
        > and often does not see the results of his/her effort until many years later.

        So basically you have to agree with me, and are only irritated that a subject
        of Her Britannic Majesty should have reminded a Pole about it.

        > So Celt or no Celt, all apprentices are expected to excell at their craft.
        The
        > same goes for students who are challenged by good teachers.

        I see there is hope for you, young padawan.

        > I also agree with your observation that some teachers are on an ego/power
        > trip and treat students as inferior creatures with half a brain. That is not
        > the sole domain of teachers in Poland now, is it? Could you explain to me the
        > high turnover rate of teachers in inner city schools in England and why
        > England is so desperate for techers that they hire from Canada?
        > Could it be that they have not produced that many goooood students themselves
        who would want to be
        > goooood teachers, or is it just the lousy pay, eh?

        It was indeed the lousy pay. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys - and one or two
        people with the true vocation who would teach even for the idea as it is in
        their blood. People like my brother, for example. However, I am happy to say
        that over the last six or seven years the pay has been increased a bit, and I
        am happy to see that, since fees in accounting took a nose dive, my brother and
        his wife, who is also a senior teacher, are earning together the same in the UK
        as I am as an accountant in Poland on my own. They certainly deserve more.
    • marcus_anglikiem Re: What is a teacher? 02.04.06, 10:26
      ok, take this example. A young guy (G) from a small town in Northern Poland goes
      to Gdansk to learn English at a (Callan method as it happens) school, where he
      is taught by two teachers i hold in very high regard, J (from California) and
      (A) from London. G progresses through the course, which he enjoys, and learns
      English to a suitably high level. He then establishes a Callan school of his
      very own, followed a couple of years later by a second, and a couple of years
      later a third.
      A successful story ?

      usenetposts napisał:

      > I had a bit of correspondence on the private part of this, and I won't say
      > who sent me this, it isn't relevant anyway, but someone was annoyed at me for
      > saying over on Maggie's group that you couldn't be a language teacher. He
      > calls me "pan" for some reason, maybe he missed the fact that I'm British,
      > and a "pan" is something I use to fry chips in, but never mind about that. I
      > just wanted to share the response I wrote to him and see what anyone here
      > thought about it.
      • usenetposts Re: What is a teacher? 02.04.06, 13:50
        marcus_anglikiem napisał:

        > ok, take this example. A young guy (G) from a small town in Northern Poland
        goe
        > s
        > to Gdansk to learn English at a (Callan method as it happens) school, where
        he
        > is taught by two teachers i hold in very high regard, J (from California) and
        > (A) from London. G progresses through the course, which he enjoys, and learns
        > English to a suitably high level. He then establishes a Callan school of his
        > very own, followed a couple of years later by a second, and a couple of years
        > later a third.
        > A successful story ?

        Indeed. From a business perspective it's a fine story. Callan is a great way to
        make money.

        Didactically it is suboptimal, ethically questionable, inaesthetic, boring
        cack, but that's quite a different story.
        • easystreet Re: What is a teacher? 02.04.06, 19:32
          and what, pray you, is a padawan? Re: Callan; I've been reading up on this
          method. It does sound like a gimmick to get teachers off their arses and to
          inject some life into the drill method; however, I'm glad you seem to see the
          silliness in the senseless regimen of Q&A. It sounds like a drill sargeant's
          dream. What a heap of rubbish! What a money grabber from the gullible and
          desperate!
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