By AUSTIN HALL
Quality motor oil acts as a catalyst, allowing the motor to run smoothly. Personal stories can act as a learning lubricant; making learning a smoother, simpler task for the student.
When a teacher tells students about his or her personal life, it makes that teacher seem a little more human. To students, the thought of any teacher having a life outside of school is a very difficult concept to grasp.
Most students are confused to see a teacher outside of school. It is as if teachers’ brains have evolved and they have now learned to dress like adults, disguising themselves as everyday civilians. Teachers are not wild animals that can only exist in captivity; most have lives that take place outside of school.
Teachers can share personal stories of how they grew up or stories of how they messed up as teenagers to try and prevent students from making that mistake. By doing so, it gives off a feeling of compassion. It shows that the teacher cares enough about students to share such a story. It can also serve as a mental break for students to give their brains a rest before diving back into the task at hand.
It helps if the story relates to what is being taught. Stories can be utilized as tools to help students retain information that can later be used in the students’ daily lives. According to Edward Roy Krishnan, a Psychology and Education teacher at Wells International School, teaching at the Prom Phong, Thong Lor, and On-nut Campuses, personal stories bridge the mental and emotional gaps between the teacher and the students, making learning a more engaging experience.
According to the National Council of Teachers of English, teachers who tell personal stories about their past or present lives model for students how to recall sensory detail. If a story is rehearsed by a teacher and told correctly, it can introduce students to the techniques of eye contact, dramatic placement of characters within a scene, and the use of character voices. These skills can transfer into a students’ writing.
Teachers should try to follow some basic guidelines that will ensure that the story has substance and appeal and will not be immediately followed by an awkward silence.
Obviously teachers should avoid dwelling into the “too personal,” and stray away from stories that will evoke negative emotions that should be left out of the classroom, such as sad stories that will make a student upset or angry. Any story that took place in the bedroom, stays in the bedroom. Teachers should avoid bragging to students, and avoid topics that draw sympathy from them.
Even made up stories that are conjured to help students remember a specific aspect of the subject may be one thing the student needed to plant whatever is being taught in that student’s mind. The more interesting a story is, the easier it is to recall the main idea.
Students tell teachers stories about their lives everyday. So, teachers talking about their personal lives should be viewed as attempting to grab the class’s attention and to connect with them, not to try and attract sympathy or praise from the students.