Life Cycle of a Teacher

Being in teaching for close to 30 years I put my journey in these stages. I have avoided decline stage as I am still one in the profession. I felt teachers have a great ego at all stages expressed in different forms.  The relationship between students and teachers keep altering, the classroom dynamics and power distance change over a period of time;  the teacher learns finally to discover oneself.

Introduction Stage: First few years is about reading content from text books and reproducing in class, students want to have great fun in class, you try to be strict and autocratic as the age difference between you and your students is marginal, you keep showing off in class as unapproachable, outside class you be very friendly and talking without filters to students. Interested in stories of students, yet you complain that students are not good.

Growth Stage: Next few years, you have understood content quite well, showing off that you have more knowledge, as if you are a magician doing magic at finger tips, just because it’s all repetitive teaching.  Trying to be friendly and democratic but students respect for content and regard you as knowledgeable.  Outside class you maintain some distance by not revealing your personal matters to students and conceit expert power.  An ego built around that you are the ‘teacher’

Extended Growth: Peak of the career, content is substantiated with more examples and real-time illustrations make class more interesting, content clubbed with things that students can relate to and making classroom environment better by adding humor in the class.  You command more respect from students but you still attempt to be friendly.  A few students approach for career questions thinking that ‘you know the world’. Power dynamics play and your claim is that you are the best.

Saturation: You find yourself more different from others; you have explored many things through research, attempt to club content and research;  to teach one class you take hours of preparation to make each class an experience for the students. Text books become immaterial.  Students keep you at a higher position; however you are not everyone’s person. You can’t teach too many hours and find it difficult to compete with others in the profession.  You realize the trend is different and you are dispensable.

Extended Saturation: You have one or two students who understand your philosophy others sleep, some don’t understand; classes become a platform to share experiences and connect knowledge. As a teacher you realize you should not talk but only listen to what others say. You realize that others perspective is important.  One or two words here and there, one or two close conversations. However, you find some contentment as someone has regarded you as a teacher who inspired.