"The best type of professor is one who cares both for the students and for the teaching and the guidelines of the institution."
To watch the movie in Spanish, click on the image below this text.
(Apologies, if you want to see it in English the title is "The Emperor's Club" available on Netflix)
TEACHER OR MENTOR?
During my professional career in the field of Consulting and Teaching, I realized that there are two types of teachers:
1) Those who prioritize teaching or classes over students, with an iron hand, sometimes generating mental and emotional blocks in students.
2) Those who prioritize students, to win their favor and get well evaluated, where the motivation of some teachers is to be "loved by their students" rather than respected.
Under the first type, success is covering a subject regardless of whether the students really engaged and motivated with the subject, to find practical application in their working lives. This type of teachers tend to give instructions without explanation and expect to be obeyed.
On the other hand, there is the "nice" teacher, the one who cares about the students, but neglects the course, the objectives and guidelines of the Educational Institution. They tend to be good people, paternalistic, but they don't make students grow; they are teachers who are hesitant to offer correction or guidance.
In the long and medium term, neither of the two options mentioned above works:
One leads to unmotivated students and interpersonal problems, while the other leads to mediocre results and stagnant students.
By being solely oriented to results or exclusively to people, these two types of teachers lose the true perspective of knowing how to guide and direct their students.
“The best type of teacher is one who cares as much about the students as they do about the lessons and the guidelines of the institution.”
These Teachers are true Mentors, who inspire their students to grow, learn and self-manage, thus obtaining great results in less time.
The Effective Teacher is now a Mentor, who gives the same priority to the students, to the lessons and to the guidelines and objectives of the Educational Institution. They understand that they are no longer the absolute truth in the classroom and that the classic way of teaching is no longer effective since the collaboration between students and mentors (teachers) is the only way to achieve fast and excellent results.
How can Mentors (Teachers) lead students to achieve better results in less time?
One way is using the three steps of the Effective Teacher, where the objective is to make students grow in an integral way, that is, academically, personally and professionally.
1) Clarifying the main objectives expected of students at the end of the course, through brief descriptions of the topics that can be reviewed quickly and frequently.
This means avoiding marathon readings that students don't normally read and copying them to others. The teacher must prepare quick readings that inspire the student in a precise and concise way in order to create the habit of reading.
2. Appreciation and recognition of good performance:
Recognize when a student gets something right and immediately praise them for it and encourage them to break through their fears.
Some students tend to have low self-esteem, it is the teacher's job to help them discover themselves and raise their self-esteem.
3. Immediate redirection:
Recognize when a student makes a mistake and immediately review the objectives expected of him. Correct a bad behavior or performance without harming the person.
Clear expectations, positive reinforcement and immediate feedback are the keys to being a good Mentor.
Students trained in this way will replicate this type of leadership at home, with their peers and in their future jobs.
The new world we live in is made up of people who want to commit themselves and contribute to something bigger through their work, and this means that leaders are needed to encourage creativity, innovation and independence, and this is what every educational institution should promote through their Teachers / Professors / Mentors.
When a teacher becomes a Mentor and uses the three steps described, they are actually developing each student they lead to become a potential organizational leader.
As students learn to set their own goals, recognize their accomplishments, and redirect themselves back to what's important, they become Mentors to themselves and those around them.
Conclusion
The role of the classic teacher is no longer effective in the modern and fast-paced business world.
Mentors are needed who focus on collaboration for the integral development of students.
“Students who feel good about themselves produce amazing results.”
