Teaching Teaching
09 Jun 2015I just had the pleasure of finishing a weeklong bootcamp with the Flatiron School and I’d like to take a moment and reflect on what I learned about teaching from the example of my excellent peers.
Teaching is hard. It’s a tricky blend of preparation, improvisation, and omniscience. It’s a craft that requires constant reflection, attention to detail, and extensive preparation. There is a difference between talking through content you know and teaching it. Especially when dealing with younger people.
When teaching adults there are expectations about behavior and attention that you can generally rely upon. There are no such accomodations when teaching teenagers, and this is where the craft of teaching comes into play. So much energy and preparation needs to go into making sure your material is accessible, engaging and timely.
Like any craft that I have tried I don’t know that I, or any other teachers, are ever (or should be) fully satisfied with the way their lesson went. During the week everyone had a chance to teach a 40 minute lecture and have a 20 minute feedback session. Everyone started the feedback section reflecting on their own work and most everyone was critical of their work. Everyone believed they had room to improve no matter how fantastic their session.
Such is the curse of craft.