Teachability - Youth and Adult

Won't be too long, I promise.

...I think.

Anyway, was just wondering about teachability. Earlier this week (2 days ago, to be precise), I saw a rather...terrible scene.

Case:
University student A (I'll leave it up to you what that A stands for. Just saying.) comes into lecture theatre with iPad. Fools around with iPad, or maybe he's doing something important like TRADING STOCKS, I don't know. Lecturer comes in a little late, keeps repeating a question to us about remembering what we learned last lecture (couldn't make it then due to illness). Student A mutters a single sentence:

"Shut up lah. Damn noisy."


As the class draws to a close, another student asked the lecturer about fixing the timing of the release of tutorial questions. An earlier release would mean more time for us to do them and present in class, leaving our weekends more free. Lecturer replies that she is trying her best to release it as early as possible, and without the other lecture being taught, it would pose an unfair advantage to the group doing the question related to the earlier lecture. That's when the demon in student A surfaced.

NOTE: This is an excerpt of what he said-no, shouted, since I don't usually pay attention to rubbish spewed out from somebody's mouth.

"I concur...I CONCUR. I think we should be given more time to do the work...I mean it's the holidays, and I'm sure everyone wants to have the weekend and free time to themselves. Furthermore, it's quite a bother to come down here everyday like that. I live in Pasir Ris and I have to come down here for every lecture, and most of the material taught here can be researched online anyway. Then I have to spend all that time traveling, and it's quite a waste of time. I'm pretty sure everyone here would agree to that" *looks around* "And you should really think for us, you know."


The lecturer is visibly upset, and goes on to say in a direct manner about our offensiveness, and that she was trying very hard to produce the tutorial questions as early as she could (Tutorial questions released at 5pm on Thurs, while our lectures always end at 3 plus). She goes on to ask if the material is really something that can be researched online and whether any of us would actually always have the motivation to look for it.

We stay silent, then the earlier student attempts to defuse the situation diplomatically, at which point I left, lest I did something on impulse to student A and worsen the situation. Moments later, the class ended, and student A slams the door on his way out and stomps away. Other students filter out and I heard talk that it was the 'first time they saw a lecturer crying'.


Might not be wholly relevant, but it told me that there was one fundamental thing that more and more students have in lack for their mentors.

RESPECT.


And without that RESPECT, there can be no TEACHABILITY. I'll mince no words here - In fact, I find it extremely repulsive and shocked that such a blatant act of disrespect could still occur at a university level.

Then again, upon assessing the situation at primary and secondary school levels based on accounts from both teacher friends and student friends, if I were living in such environments, it probably wouldn't even be a shock at all.


Not saying that all school are like that, but I tend to believe someone who is honest and good (i.e. My mother) in their accounting of experiences. Note the plural form.

It is easy to brush off problems about the youth, of course, like when a friend said I was 'thinking too much' when I mentioned the possible influences books promoting wrong values (albeit unwittingly) can have on youths. And why not, since we can't even see the problems in the first place, since most of us are so short-sighted, reducing our thoughts to be focused on the job we want to get, the meal we want to eat next, the movie we want to watch, that academic article we want to read etc.

Not saying that all these things are bad or doing them makes you short-sighted per se, but I think it's unwise to dismiss such concerns without reviewing them at all.

Back on topic. Without respect for the authority in your life, how can you be teachable? That is ultimately a concern of mine that would probably go unanswered, seeing the lack of views and response here. Still, I just want to voice them out.

Before you say "But the teacher has nothing over me! Why should I listen to him/her?!", let me say they DO have authority. They have it in knowledge and education over you. They are authorised to teach you because they are more knowledgeable than you. Unless that teacher is a total wreck (and not by YOUR standards), you are compelled to listen and to respect him/her.

Even if he/she is boring. Even if he/she is "super" strict. Even if he/she has no sense of humor.

And for the Christian friends out there...If you have no respect for authority for the people around you, nothing will ever make me think that you have respect for Jesus and His teachings.


Go figure.

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The greater concern with teachability lies with adults though, and that includes me.

Here's an analogy - We are at level 60 when we enter university. When we graduate, we level up to level 80. As we work, we go even further to the 100s and are eligible to conquer various "dungeons" (a.k.a the Starting a Family Dungeon, the Buying a New House Cave etc). And at that certain level, we get achievements for conquering dungeons, and we think "Hey, I'm there already! I'm like a high-level dude who can take on anything!"

That seems to be the attitude we have. Upon reaching a certain age or a certain stage in life, we think we are self-sufficient. We think we know it all. We think that we can solve our own problems and we don't need help. We think there's nothing left to learn and that no one else can teach us.

That might not be the case between God and adults all the time, but that is a very realistic case between people.

More so for educators, I believe (Feel free to prove me wrong. I like to learn about my mistakes). I'd suppose its the nature of their job that makes some of them feel like that. Since they are the ones teaching almost all the time, it would feel...strange for some of them to be taught by someone else.

Then again, it could simply mean that that educator - or rather, that adult is not very teachable and has less respect for authority by focusing on their OWN selves as the authority.

Big No-No for anyone practising any religion. It only speaks of arrogance.

Maybe you say that the circumstances are so stifling - so why not share them, since the vaunted ability to solve your own problems since you are a working adult as failed you? It is difficult to set down that pride we have in us, of course...Then again, would you prefer solving the problem here and now or RUNNING AWAY from it only to have it haunt you again?


Go figure.