Teaching In The Shadow Of A Legend
How to cope when you just don't measure up to the old teacher
It is very difficult to be a successful teacher if you subconsciously attempt to live up to the reputation of the experienced and respected teacher that you replaced.
A teacher who takes a position vacated by a long term experienced teacher often finds himself at a great disadvantage. The new teacher's inexperience coupled with the aura that the old, experienced teacher leaves behind creates issues that go beyond that which one might experience if the latter had not been so highly respected and revered by their students. Since the first year as a new teacher is often the most difficult, uncertain, and introspective time of a their career it is only natural that the new teacher will subconsciously desire to live up to their predecessor's reputation with the student body. If they do not live up to this legendary status, the new teacher may find themselves sliding down a path toward sufficient dissatisfaction that it may ultimately drive them out of the profession.
For a teacher to survive in the lingering shadow of a retired teacher the new teacher must realize and internally reinforce the fact that there is no way to fill the former teacher's shoes. Once a teacher accepts this fact they can remove that desire for student approval from their psyche and instead focus completely on the job of educating their students in the best possible manner. While we all want to be accepted, good common sense tells us that a teacher must keep a strong professional distance from his students. The subconscious desire for acceptance by the students can make a new teacher do things that are not educationally sound. A new teacher that yearns for the same level of respect that the former teacher held will often subconsciously lower their classroom expectations, grading systems, and become more "chummy," than he should be with the students. This in turn leads to results that are opposite of what the teacher was seeking. Instead of being respected and revered by the student body, he or she winds up being known as a soft teacher or as an easy "A".
Being a new teacher is incredibly difficult and emotionally taxing on a person. If you or someone you know find themselves in the position of taking a position vacated by a legendary teacher, save yourself from the emotional pain and instead rise to the challenge. Stop comparing yourself to your predecessor and simply be the best teacher that you can possibly can be!
