From the moment I first stepped into an ESL classroom as a volunteer, I knew this is what I wanted to do for the next season of life! I love standing in front of a white board, explaining the language to attentive faces. I relish in the laughter of students who find the class fun. It is heart-warming to receive words of appreciation and little gifts from my beloved students. Finding joy in serving is a gift from God. But how deceptive of my heart to turn a God-centered thing into a Me-centered opportunity as I turned the focus from loving my students well to my own self-fulfillment.
What about you? Do you ever find yourself basking in the limelight of leading a class and realize what you’re doing isn’t really about your students, but yourself? It may be hard to discern because it is often entangled with other motives and desires that are good. We genuinely care for our students. We honestly want to serve Jesus and see him glorified. We sincerely want to see people come to know Christ. But these admirable desires can be tainted with self. So how can we discern self-centeredness as we teach?
Signs of a self-centered teacher:
- We are doing most of the talking. Virtually every ESL student I have had relates that the hardest part of learning English is speaking. So, if I am not providing students ample opportunities to converse during class, that means I have the floor most of the time and I’m dominating the discussion.
- We talk about ourselves, but fail to ask students about themselves. Of course, I want to be known, but so do my students. And it is appropriate that I talk about my country so students can understand the culture, but they are excited to do the same for me. By failing to inquire about their life experiences or their cultures, I’m communicating they have neither have value.
- We want to be heard over being understood. It’s easy to fall into the habit of conversing in ways that I’m comfortable with, both in vocabulary and in pace. But it is being lazy and inconsiderate. Student comprehension should be in the forefront of my mind every time I open my mouth. I must constantly think, “Slow down. Keep it simple.”
- We are annoyed when students want to engage in conversation while setting up for class. What is my ultimate goal for teaching? Is it to enhance the vocabulary and grammar of my students? Or is it to cultivate relationships and point others to Christ through love? Relationship-building can sometimes hinder productivity and efficiency. And loving someone can require inconvenient sacrifices of time.
- We are unwilling to sacrifice extra time. I wear many hats and there are relentless demands on my time. It is wise to prioritize and to create margin in my schedule. However, setting healthy boundaries can sometimes slip into being selfish with my time if I am unwilling to give more than I care to. When a student invites me to lunch, I might decline because it falls outside my allocated time to serve. If a student starts to open up about a personal issue, I might brush them off thinking I don’t have the bandwidth to take on their problems. Like the priest and the Levite, I “walk on by” and fail to be a good neighbor because I regard my time as more valuable than the person in front of me.
I am learning that the most effective teachers aren’t necessarily the ones who know the difference between a gerund and a present participle, but those who are student-centered. They recognize learning English is not the end goal, it’s the formation of friendships. And while they find joy in what they do, they do not place their role in the category of self-identity or self-fulfillment because they find those things in Christ alone. Therefore, they can give of themselves out of the abundance of abiding in His love.
Signs of a student-centered teacher
- Students do most of the talking. Relinquishing the need to be the center of attention, they go the extra mile to increasingly make their classroom more interactive. This may mean more time and effort in planning, but they happily do it out of love for their students.
- They genuinely want to learn about the world. Student-centered teachers know their students have just as much to teach them about the world as they have to teach their students. They like to learn about other cultures and see things from a different perspective. They keep abreast of what is going on in their students’ countries and personal lives so they can ask informed questions.
- Students can comprehend what they are saying. Constantly analyzing if students understand them, student-centered teachers use the appropriate level of vocabulary and speed. They adjust when students are confused or disengaged.
- They come to class early and stay late. They don’t show up five minutes before class starts. They arrive well before class begins, allowing time to prepare and engage with students as they arrive. They often linger after class to answer questions and ask students about what is going on in their lives.
- They go the extra mile. They are open to meeting for coffee or opening up their home from time to time. When a student shares a difficult or painful experience, they take the time to listen, offer comfort and pray. They make themselves available for communication outside of class and readily provide their email for ongoing support.
How do we move from self-centered teaching to student-centered teaching? By asking the Spirit to conform us to the likeness of Christ who is the perfect role model of student-centered teaching!
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:3-8, NIV)
Reflect on how Jesus interacted with his students. What did it cost him? How did he demonstrate his love to them? Reflect on how Jesus interacts with you. What sacrifices did he make for you? How does he demonstrate his love to you? Be filled with Jesus’ love and approval so you don’t take an empty emotional cup to your classroom.
Regularly pray Philippians 2:3-5 for yourself, that you would do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Pray for your students by name each week and ask Jesus to give you selfless love for each of them.
Take steps to do one thing differently in your classroom, whether it’s something small like getting to class 10 minutes earlier or something big like inviting students for coffee outside of class.
No matter how long we’ve been teaching, we will always struggle with our motivations. So, it is important to regularly put our hearts before the inspection of our Savior and ask him to expose what we cannot see in ourselves. By awareness, repentance and freedom from self, we will grow in our effectiveness as teachers and Christ-followers.