Thinking

When my students asked if they were the reason I was quitting teaching, I should have answered "Yes."

Comments

[Allan]

Yep.

[Thomas]

I agree with Allan... Or you could have said, "I'm leaving teaching for a lucrative career in adult film."

[Heimo]

It's a real difficult question:
No - I wouldn't have told them, because I don't believe in collective guilt, I did hate it when in my youth a teacher punished all the class because of the misbehaviour of one or two - that was so unjust - so just leave them, because you have something better to do -
I also remember having had 2 times teachers who really had a breakdown while they taught us (tortoise) & left the class (one with tears) - even if you're not involved, this group feeling makes most class members quiet & even laughing if the more tougher provokers attack a teacher - even if I liked a teacher, I alway thought - they were so superior, that nothing of our jokes could hurt them & I remember that I was really embarrased & shocked, when I saw that a teacher really real hurt by us - I remember that after he left the classroom - we all became very quiet - I think we felt guilty - this Mr. Hoffmann was my and also of most of us favourite teacher we were a gang of stupid pupils where no-one felt responsible, just giggled, when someone made a joke or provoked in a way we thought to be funny - the approval of our class mates counted more - later on we tried to be a bit more careful with him.. - I think a lot of your students like you - they asked you for e-mail adress etc. - I remember I loved some of my teachers & really adored them long afterwards - but - ooh - never showed it to them - in the classroom you think it's better to make a little joke of them & that's not so very constructive but on the other hand: you're not a voluntary pupil or student - you feel forced to learning, but not ready by yourself to really learn - I wish there would be only voluntary learning - but that had to be in combination to - that you early learn that learning gives you better life - I mean: if I would be a Shimpanzee Mama & tell my son, that he has to learn to climb a tree to get the oranges, he would probably do it - he wouldn't try to provoke me, while I teach him how to climb the tree - I know this is a very primitive example - I believe in teaching - it's one of the primary tasks for retaining our culture, but the only good teaching atmosphere is the voluntary one, that needs a good teacher, the forced teaching needs a good dompteur, who knows to use his weapons well..