Selling Yourself in the Classroom 127
simply the ability to make the audience feel that you’re telling this
story, saying these words, communicating these ideas for the first
time and spontaneously. It’s a vital part of acting because every
performance following opening night is a repeat, but it should still
be as fresh and interesting as it was the first time.
Why has no one ever stressed that same notion with teaching?
It deserves consideration. Every Algebra I class is essentially the
same as every other Algebra I class. The teacher needs to keep
the image of the “first time” in his or her presentation in order to
make the material fresh and interesting for the students, who in
fact are hearing it for the first time.
Most of us are what we are and have certain academic strengths
and weaknesses because a particular group of teachers excited us
and another group turned us off.
A good teacher must have a tremendous desire and an excel-
lent ability to get the message across to the student.
Dull teachers can make a bore out of exciting material, but
interesting teachers, good teachers, can make magic out of what
would otherwise seem to be very ordinary material.
Perhaps it would help if the designation “teacher” were given
only to those who were interesting in the front of the classroom
and a different name given to those who merely presented mate-
rial by rote.
Enthusiasm and knowledge
It might seem like a revolutionary idea, but think of what a
difference it would make in our ability to educate if all teachers
were required to develop good communication skills in addition
to their academic requirements. It happened to me and I’m sure
it’s happened to you. There were times when going to school was
a joy. And there were other times when you were literally sick
before the school bell rang at the start of the day. The difference
was almost always the teacher’s ability to create interest and en-
thusiasm in the classroom, no matter what the subject.
If material seems to be boring to the teacher, it will be boring
to the class, but the reverse isn’t necessarily true. Just because
the teacher is interested in the material doesn’t necessarily mean
the class will be interested.