I don’t know anything about psychology, and obviously he does. I think I have dropped enough similar bombs on the far Left that I don’t need to become a poster boy for the Right like he did, or at least I felt he did.
Probably from his perspective, he sees and saw his field in general being used for the destruction of self-efficacy, especially among men. I can appreciate that.
He said something a few months back in a video that sticks with me as a teacher: The biggest thing a teacher does is set the inspirational frame for learning. I think he’s right. I think what I can do better is draw direct connections with the content knowledge and our near-inevitable bond as learners together. (That is, some of my friends have said that I am especially skilled at creating bonds of friendship with kids; I don’t think so. I just think a lot of people don’t feel seen, especially as they grow up. Try a little, you end up with strong loyalty.)
If you don’t know something, you can find it out. But a teacher tells young people, “Here’s the stuff you don’t know, and here’s why it matters.” And if you think about what being a teenager is like, everything that happens feels like The Most Important Thing Ever. Every mistake feels like the end of the world. But if you’re forced to go through a learning process, we the teachers get to say stuff like, “You’re not dumb, you just forgot one thing,” or “Try again, you’ll get it.” Seriously, it’s the best job ever, even if it’s kind of also the worst.
I’m telling you all that to tell you that another one of my students is going to college. A kid doesn’t have to go to any college to be a success in life. I truly believe that. But if she’s gonna go do a hard thing she didn’t think she could do? Shoot that joy and pride straight into my veins, and quickly.
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