Have you seen any interviews where the star referred to their teacher as such an essential part of growing up?
Viola Davis said it about her drama teacher. Oprah Winfrey said it about her teachers changing her life. Adele said it about her English teacher.
The bond and trust formed between a teacher and student are not just vital for education but can in fact be life changing.
Teacher-Student Trust Shapes A Student’s Chance at Success
Rita Pierson, a teacher with over 40 years of experience, gave this TED talk in 2013. She spread the idea that every kid needs a champion and implied that a teacher can be a kid’s champion. More striking in her speech was that she once told her colleague, who didn’t think that her students liking her was necessary if she wasn’t getting paid extra, that “kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” I will now take it one step further:
No one really likes someone they don’t trust.
It is simple enough, yet when someone asks if it’s OK for a teacher to lie to a student, I think twice about my answer because…
Teacher-Student Trust is Built on Honesty
In the same 2013 speech, Ms. Pierson talked about getting a math lesson wrong and coming back the next day to come clean and apologize to her students. As it turned out, the students knew she got it wrong but didn’t let on because, as she said, they thought she looked excited to be taking them through math.
But she owned up to her mistake. She was honest with them. She didn’t think them as just kids, and even though she was an adult, demonstrated mistakes can be made by anyone and admitting to them is the right and honest thing to do.
Is It OK for a Teacher to Lie to A Student?
It may be required sometimes, even though it is not always encouraged. Lies are not encouraged because it takes a toll on any strong relationship the teacher hopes to build with the student; and vice versa.
Teachers and learning specialists try to distinguish between lying to protect and lying to hurt. Many teachers think that some lies are necessary to get students to do what they should and this stance isn’t invalid. On the other hand, good teachers also believe that building meaningful relationships with their students based on trust will eliminate the need to lie about anything.
As far as lying to protect or lying by omission goes, the common opinion is to use lies as little as possible and only when there’s no other option.
Teacher-Student Trust Always Comes in Handy
The reason to prioritize trust (built on honesty) is that a teacher can never tell when they’ll need their student to trust that they (the teacher) will show them what’s right for them both academically and socially with their peers.
One thing’s for sure when a student continually doubts what their teacher is telling them, they will find it difficult to absorb what’s being taught. Remember that teacher-student trust goes both ways, and it wouldn’t also hurt for a student to be upfront and honest with their teacher.
I hope this helps!