When was the last time you were wrong?
Academically, the last time I was wrong was in probably in theory class. It's not surprising that I was wrong in theory, as this is not my best subject. I very much enjoy music theory but most days my brain is just not up to it. I am, true to form, a little slower than others in my class. So, having tried to find the right chord, and being proud of myself for identifying it, I offered up my answer. My professor didn't make an example of me... just kind of hesitated and said, "are you sure about that?", giving me time to reconsider my answer. Outside of the classroom, I'm wrong all the time. I forget things, ask people lots of questions, try to write stuff down so I can remember things, and sometimes just have no clue what I'm doing or talking about. Like most others, I've been trained that wrong is bad, and so I avoid it. I'd like to think that there is a positive place in the classroom for the wrong answers. I'd even prefer if there were no right and wrong and students were encouraged to explore and justify their findings.
How does a teacher strike a balance between confidence and genuine humility?
I think that both of these attributes are admirable and desirable, and that they aren't mutually exclusive. Personally, I struggle with balancing contrasting attributes. I have come to find that there isn't really one way to operate in all situations. Rather, that it is a matter of timing. I feel that especially as an educator, a person should have the ability to temporarily take themselves out of a situation and ask themselves what is needed from them at the moment. That includes how it effects themselves, others, the outcome, and both long and short term effects. It's important to show both confidence and humility in a classroom, and more important to show both the positive AND negative aspects to each trait.
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