Reflection 2

A student asked me the same question that I had already answered a few minutes earlier. In another class another student asked about the meaning of the word that I had just spent two minutes explaining. Are they deaf? Or dumb? Or am I so boring that they can’t be bothered to pay attention?

If I optimistically assume that I am not the most boring teacher in the world, the root of this problem must be some attention issues. We can blame the Internet, smartphones, the fast pace of living and the incredible amount of (often completely unimportant) information we have to process every minute. It may be true that our brains have changed and now can’t focus on one thing for more than a few minutes. We need to be constantly entertained to pay attention. And the tragedy is that without deep focus and deliberate attention serious learning just won’t happen. In order to properly understand and/or remember something, we need to pay attention. So please let’s not waste more time on unnecessary explanations and clarifications – pull yourselves together and focus the first time round!