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I Am a Teacher

During one of my lessons, a student asked my opinion about a teacher who had lost a bunch of exams.

I answered him that anyone can make a mistake, and if that happened to me (fortunately it has never happened so far), I would give each student individually the choice between being assessed using the rest of their grades, or take the exam again.

The boy went on saying that this teacher who lost the exams should be severely punished. I replied that I would have agreed with him when I was his age, but as I have grown older, I have become more lenient with mistakes who have its source in distraction, and less with those whose foundatilns are in laziness, ignorance, or selfishness.

How would you have reacted?

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Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

I always love how youngsters see no grey in the world.
Everything is either black or white no matter what the issue !

I suppose grey is maybe something you only see as an adult with an understanding of how the world really works.

Cierzo · M

@Picklebobble2 It is human nature, I guess. When we grow up, you realise that we are far from perfect, and mistakes are part of human condition.

Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

@Cierzo True. But I also wonder if children put so much stock in the idea that adults are supposed to know everything. The idea of them making mistakes awakens a 'light bulb' in their minds and perhaps makes them realise that they're not infallible that they've come to see most adults as. That can be a worrying thought for some.

Cierzo · M

@Picklebobble2 Regarding my student, I think he considers that, since the teacher is paid for her job, she cannot afford making mistakes. He sees the world in a purely transactional way, which to be honest makes me sad.

Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

@Cierzo I can understand that

Cierzo · M

@Picklebobble2 I don't blame him. That is what kids see every day.