A teacher with pizzazz has a fundamental respect for the opinions of other people. And when that comes across, your students warm up to you, and can be free and comfortable to disagree. Remember no one has a monopoly on wisdom and insight.
We’ve got to be able to allow our students to challenge us without
becoming upset or angry or threatened. We're not there to teach students what to think but how to think and how to think involves being bold enough to challenge and disagree.
So a teacher with pizzazz is bold enough to stand up and express their opinions but express them in a way that is not going to deny the authenticity and the validity of the opinions of others.
Your opinions will add to the debate on any topic. I have been in the classrooms of teachers who were terrific until somebody stood up and challenged them. As soon as the challenge was issued they became defensive, venomous ,reactionary and used the power of their platform to shoot down the “offending” member of the class.
We should always be confident enough in our opinions and our own background and experience that we don't have to shoot down the opinions and ideas of others when they happen to disagree with ours. A pizzazzed teacher has this ability in my opinion.
This is an excerpt from How to Be a Teacher with Pizzazz.
(30 Pages of Strategies,Tips and Techniques)
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