provocative opinion On the Importance of Being Polite Rubin Battino Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435
A number of years ago I asked my son David about the teachers a t his middle school. "Could you tell me which of your teachers obviously likes teaching and coming to school in the morning?" He took a minute and said, "Mr. Z." "Are there any others?" "No." Imagine, in a middle school with 12 teachers, only one was found by my son to be obuiously interested in teaching. If your students were asked the same question, would they name you? If not, how can you change what you're doing so that you would be named? I am going to suggest in this essav that one thine - -vou can do is to be overtly and conscio;sly polite. Mv collearme. - . Joe E.. started me thinking- about this a number of years ago when I took a course from him. This was an evenine course. Joe invariahlv "bounced" into class with a cheery&ile, a hearty 'Good-evening," and generallv exuded the feeling that he was deli~htedto be there with us. We all felt ce&n that Joe didn'twant to be somewhere else, wasn't there because it was required in some way, and genuinely loved the subject he was teaching. This was no chore. It was what he both wanted and enjoyed doing. Moreover, his enthusiasm went beyond the subject matter and embraced us as friends and collaborators on a joint journey oflearning. He was respectful and unfailingly polite in dealing with us. Being in that room, with him, and in the lovine ambiance he created. made that class a iov to attend. In flct, I looked forward that class all weeL as a kind of oasis of friendship and camaraderie. As a teacher of any subject you have already made a statement about its import to you and your commitment to it. I am serious about chemistry and transmitting knowledge and understanding about it. This seriousness may be why it took me such a long time to be able to be overtly open about my feelings about the subject, teaching, and my students. Somehow, for a bona fide scientist, it is unseemly to get emotional. Although I certainly encourage the open show of passion about chemistry (or any other subject), the central message of this essay has to do with being polite and showing respect. Students know that the teacher is more expert than they in the subject they are struggling to master. There is never any point in rubbing that in or showing off your mastery. Any teacher can design an examination so difficultthat the class average will be below 20. To do that is malicious and petty. Teachers need constantly to keep in mind that they are the experts for whom all this flows easily, and their students are the tyros laboring with learning. (Isn't that awareness the foundation of being a good teacher?) Yet the teachers also need to remember the efforts they put into learning this particular subject and the fact that many students are much more proficient than they'll ever be in a variety of other subjects and activities. As personal eximple, I tned learning piano in middle aee and never got much hewnd davmadThreeBlind Mice" piano! So, in some below the levei of a mechanicai
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Journal of Chemical Education
area or areas the students sittine before me can be mv teachers! This is another awareness that helps me to de wntle and understandine in dealine with students. Being polite means a cheery greeting upon entering class. This is delivered in such a congruent fashion that everyone knows you mean it. But, youmay ask, what ifyou are a shy or retiring or undemonstrative or naturally grouchy person? Because some maintain that effective teaching is over 90 percent theater, then, youact as if you were genuinely glad to be there. The paradoxical result is that acting happy actually results in your being happier. This is a kind of self-reinforcement. One of the most important outcomes of being polite is what it will do to you, and what it has done for me. The more "polite" I am, the more I genuinely enjoy being in class with that particular group of students. (Flattery seems to work even when the recipient has doubts about its sincerity). The politeness in your demeanor needs to continue throughout the period while you are lecturing or answering questions. When was the last time you thanked a student for askine a auestion? Most classes function with a "designated" sTudent (or students) who asks most of the questions. I tell these students that they are secretly admired by the rest of the class, because they are willing to brave asking simple or even "dumb" questions. Questions are repeated for the entire class, answered, and then the student is asked if I have adeauatelv answered the auestion. Finally, I thank the quesiioner-for helping me Gach better. It is important to end the class with something like, %u know, I really enjoyed being with you today. Kind of makes my day to be here. Thanks for coming, and thanks for your attentivenesdparticipation." Is this a lot ofhokum? For an answer, let's turn to the world of entertainment. My colleague John Fortman and I do over 15 90-minute chemistry outreach demonstration "funand magic" shows each year. An invariable prelude to these shows is my walking UD and down the aisles shaking the hands of as many students as I can reach. This is &companied by a welcoming banter of comments, thank yons, questions, and (often silly) repartee. This is no longer a show by distant white-coated scientists. We are real, we have real voices and reactions, we are human, we are within reach, and we are welcoming. I am firmly convinced that this "working* of the audience is one of the thin&%that has made our shows so popular. If this 'tactic" (please don't react negativelv to this word -we all do conscious ~ l a n ~ nwere e ) not effective, why do all professional performers "warm up" an audience? Read the words "warm up" again. Should we be teaching "cold" chemistry or "warm'? Do you deliberately arrive to class early and "chat up" individual students? I have been doing this for a while and find that it sets me up for lecturine. Of course. a t the bell I do mv cheew o~ening ".- - .... Several times during the term I thank my students for payingmy salary. I remind them that they are my employers and that I work for them. "Well, bosses, what can I do
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for you today?" I also remind them to be greedy in a friendly way. Since I work for them, they have the right to make demands on my time and expertise. I have an open door policy. Any time my door is open, students are welcome to visit. When I am on campus, my time is their time. Since I regularly teach the large general chemistry classes, I have supervision over many teaching assistants who run the laboratories. In my weekly sessions with them, they are encouraged to practice the principles of politeness outlined in thisessay. My TAs report that this has changed the atmosphere in the laboratories for the better. Labs become a friendly and inviting place to be. Taking some time during the first lab period to get acquainted helps. Have the students get in groups of four or five, introduce themselves, and share with each other three or four interesting bits of information about themselves. The TAmodels this at the beginning of the exercise. There are many opportunities to be polite. One of the most personal is knowing the names of our students. To help my TAs learn the names of their students, we print
each student's name on a small card folded to stand. This unobtmsively and gently permits all students to be called by name. I know of a department that routinely photographs its students, adds names to the class photograph, and distributes this to its faculty. In the large classes I teach it is effectivelyimpossible to learn the names of all of my students. But I do learn the names of many students. This may be simply symbolic,but it is appreciated and understood. In my smaller classes, I use name labels that I cany to each class so that no one is embarrassed by not knowing a name. Other simple courtesies are providing a good syllabus and an outline of the days's lecture at the beginning of each class. Being polite and learning to be even more polite makes good sense. I really like what being more overtly polite has done for me and my approach to teaching. Thank you so very much for the attentiveness and openness with which you've read this opinion piece. I really appreciate this opportunity to share with you.
Volume 70 Number 7 July 1993
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