The Skillful Teacher

We Don’t Trust You
If students sense that in a discussion the teacher is lying in wait for
them, waiting to trip them up for saying something stupid, then
they will keep their mouths shut. They will also stay silent if the
teacher is asking students to give their opinions on contentious or
difficult topics without the teacher ever having spoken from her
own heart on these same matters. The student might sense that this
is a “counterfeit” discussion that seems open but that actually has
its end point already predetermined.
This mistrust can only be countered by the students seeing a
teacher, week in, week out, earn their trust. One way this process
can be foreshortened is by regularly reporting CIQ comments that
criticize your actions as the teacher in discussion and then address-
ing these in a nondefensive way. You can thank students for express-
ing their criticisms and say how these have made you think about
the way your contributions are perceived. Also, if you are asking
students to discuss something that involves them in any kind of self-
disclosure or personal revelation, make sure you go first. Let them
know that by modeling your own willingness to do this you’re earn-
ing the moral right to invite them into this process.
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