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DEAR TUTORS: IF IN DOUBT- CHECK IT OUT!

 As educators, there are certain unwritten rules that we all think we need to follow, and standards we expect ourselves to live by but by all means, there are days when all I want to do is be nice to myself, give myself some grace and tap myself on the back because though I intend to give things my all, I need to acknowledge that I am already doing a great job at the moment.

As Educators, we are supposed to plan our notes and lessons at least a week before, plan our instructional materials and notes. We are to envision ourselves taking those classes even before they ever do and prepare beforehand for any contingency that may come up along the way.

Dear educator, are there times when despite your preparation and foresight, you hit a wall at a point where someone asks a question, or at a point where you have an internal dilemma about ether to pick up one spelling over another. Those moments when you’re sure but not too sure, you know it but you’re not so sure. In this case, what do you do? Truth be told, many of us fall into the trap of feeling bad or not good enough because as educators, we are supposed to know everything and be ready for any question.

Some educators now fall on the extreme of thinking they don’t need to recheck or double-check things. That because they have maybe been in the sector for a long time or been teaching a particular class for a while, they somehow cannot be wrong.

 

Pupils of Emmanuel Anglican Pry school in a digital class

Dear tutors sometimes, it may be hard but we need to fix our eyes on what really matters and in this case, it’s the children. They are the reason why we are here and doing this job in the first place. This means that regardless of how we feel, we are not to pass wrong information or mislead them by any means-hold up! I know mistakes do happen sometimes, trust me, I don’t expect you to be perfect, but, we all know the drill, if you make a mistake, you’re expected to apologize and retrace your steps.

In the media, I was taught that once we were in doubt we were to leave out, But there are different sets of rules for educators, as tutors the information we leave out because we are not sure of will always come back to stab us at the back. So in a case where you’re not quite sure of a concept, please do not leave it out, skip it or assume you’re correct, guess, or let your ego get in the way of you and your learners picking up the correct information. The best thing to do is accept that you’re not sure and by all means, go ahead to confirm or check that information. Do not teach something you’re not sure of when you can always halt and find out even on the spot there’s no shame in that!

There are days when I am not sure of certain information, I immediately let my pupils know that I am not sure if it’s this or that and I go ahead to tell them that we need to find out which one is correct because they are too important for me to give them half baked, half sure, incorrect information-They deserve to get the best and I am not going to let my ego stop me from making sure they get just that.

All I am saying is that, if you need to recheck it, please do!-as far as the intention is for the children to get the very best of whatever you’re offering them.

 

 

 

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