Whether your children learn at home, in a public school, or in a private one, you have probably felt this worry: “I don’t know enough to help them.” Some of us did well in art but were slow in math or loved science but hated English. Some parents have a degree in engineering but are clueless about English literature, and others have a degree in sociology, but history eludes them. We worry we can’t help our children enough because we’re not experts in all the topics they need to know about. So, what makes a good teacher? A willingness to learn.
Knowledge Is of Two Kinds
Samuel Johnson said, “Knowledge is of two kinds: We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information about it.” Gaining knowledge is about knowing where to find information, not about having all of it.
When we understand that we can find the answer to almost anything and stay a step or two ahead of our child, we know we can help them learn and love learning. That knowledge increases our confidence, and all we need is the determination to gain our own education. If I don’t know my multiplication tables (and believe me, many adults don’t), then I should learn them. I can do it on my own time or right alongside my child. If I don’t know why clouds are different or how rain forms, I can read and study it out. Then I can share what I learn and help my child feel my enthusiasm, which will increase theirs.
Knowing Everything Isn’t The Goal
Knowing everything isn’t the goal. Being willing to look it up and make the effort to learn it ourselves, that is what makes an excellent teacher. And face it, anyone raising a child is a teacher.
We err when we assume someone else can teach our child better than we can just because they have a degree we don’t have. We also err when we assume teachers know all about the subjects they are called to teach. I have friends who are teachers, and they are always reading, learning, and upgrading their knowledge.
I come from a family of teachers. My father taught when he was young and returned to the profession later in life. Many of my aunts were teachers. I have cousins who are teachers. I have a sister, and both she and her husband are now retired teachers. I have observed that teachers are often called to teach grades and subjects they know no more about than the average parent. I received a letter from one of the teachers in my family, and I had to share it. It’s a clear example of what I am talking about.
“I had my schedule changed in the last day or so; now I’m teaching Biology and Zoology. I haven’t taught Zoology, so that will be a new change and a different one. I hope I can get things put together for that. There is no book right now, so we will see what happens. I might be using the Internet a lot.”
This high school teacher isn’t freaking out about teaching Zoology, a subject he has never taught, and without a book! He is going to find what he needs and take it back to his class. That’s what we can do as parents!
Never Be Ashamed to Ask Questions
“How do you know so much about everything?” was asked of a very wise and intelligent man; and the answer was “By never being afraid or ashamed to ask questions as to anything of which I was ignorant.” John Abbott
We should never be ashamed if we don’t know something. Not knowing doesn’t diminish our ability to teach. Being unwilling to learn ourselves, that is where our power is lost.
One of the greatest gifts we can give a child is to let them observe us learning, searching out the information, and then sharing it. Example matters! It will help them understand that a truly educated person knows they don’t know everything, but also knows they can learn anything by reading, searching for information, and having mentors.