Mediocre breeds mediocre

Mediocre teaching and tiredness. 

It is often common in workshops or classroom scenarios the person in role of ‘teacher’ ‘tutor’ or ‘educator’ is tired. Sick and tired. Tired of this, or tired of that. Sadly, more often than not, tired of those they are teaching and those they are teaching for.

We are all guilty of having a moan, a meltdown, offloading on to friends or colleagues, either in the staff room or elsewhere. These moments of expression can be on the way to the car after work, between classes - there is no prescribed space or place for these much needed moments to happen. 

When working as an educator and workshop leader - I know when I am feeling tired or the strain or the freelancers burn out - I end up playing the same games over and over again with different groups over different age ranges - I get lazy and mediocre. It’s not something I am proud of, its not something I would usually admit but I am now at a point in my career and practice where I’m sharing more and challenging myself and others more. 

Mediocre teaching is all over the shop - we can all think of a classroom we’ve been in where we would rather be anywhere else, equally some of us can admit where we haven’t engaged the students or participants in our best way.  I don’t attempt to offer any solutions here or any allowances for that matter but there is a strange to and fro where I sit on this.

We have all heard stories of teachers who have years and years of experience who have lost their passion and motivation. There is two things you cannot teach, passion and motivation.

Teachers often become teachers because they are absolutely in love with their craft or specialism they want to pass that on to others, not because of the holidays or wages. Certainly not because of the extra unpaid hours, the school systems faults and the harder to please stakeholders. 

We want to extend our love and knowledge of our crafts to reach others with it. Connect others to the world we know and have made a home in. To welcome more people in our endeavours, our plight and our safe places.  Once the person in the role of ‘teacher’ loses that passion and motivation — they undoubtedly become mediocre. They teach to us and others just to pass exams, to complete the CPD log or to pass the test at the end of a tedious day. It is not enough - and it is disappointing.

We loose hope as learners, as parents, as caregivers, as people.

For me, when I get a participant in my classes I teach in the evenings who has had a rubbish day at school or college - it breaks a little bit of my heart because I have often learned in the same or similar establishments they are coming from and I know it could be way better - because it was. I don’t want to look back on my days in education through rose tinted glasses or as if it was the golden era - because trust me, there was plenty problems when I was there too but there was life in the classrooms, there was opportunity and my god there was passion. 

We are now in this phase where we teach to get through the year or the term and for people to pass, rather than teaching to create an experience, instil values and principals and share a craft. It is killing all of us, slowly. Learner and educator.  Mediocrity breeds mediocrity so what is going to happen to our industry?

Not a perfect image but one close to summing up where we are at.

Now as I said before - there is no immediate solution.  It is absolutely evident that teaching staff- especially those in high schools needs better support, up to date resources, adequate budgets and chances to do CPD - not at the expense of the classes success. It infuriates me that we so often scrap the arts budget because we know it delivers results regardless - yet other subjects in schools have a plentiful supply. Even within the art and creative subjects there is a hierarchy of what goes first vs what gets to stay.

College lecturers and tutors need support from management to keep exploring their own practices and developing in their own fields before they can be expected to hone and grow the next generation or wave of makers, thinkers, creators - employees. 

There a handful of examples of brilliant teaching practice and brilliant educators behind it, there are those who still keep the passion going and make it their duty to break the culture we are living in.  There are those who’s current students sing their praises to ex-students who too, rejoice in the difference that teacher made and continues to make. 

I am really keen to start offering my services or knowledge to help break that pattern for others, and I am even more keen for others to interject, interrupt and push my practices in different directions. Help me keep it fresh, current and exciting.  Let’s hold each other accountable, in a kind supportive way for the betterment of our participants and students - but also for our own sanity and passion as makers, educators and industry professionals.

We all fell in love with what we do, once. Let’s find that love again even if it looks slightly different.