8 types of teachers you shouldn't trust

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-13 00:26

The professionalism of teachers and mentors is usually not in doubt. And in vain!

This article is part of the Auto-da-fe project. In it, we declare war on everything that prevents people from living and becoming better: breaking laws, believing in nonsense, deceit and fraud. If you've come across a similar experience, share your stories in the comments.

The word “teacher” is understood not only as a school teacher. In a broad sense, this includes teachers, mentors, coaches and coaches of all stripes - all the people who should make you smarter, better, pump your talents. But not all teachers are equally helpful. Some of them should alert you.

1. A teacher who lies about his education

A heap of diplomas does not always guarantee high qualifications and a large amount of human knowledge. As well as their absence does not mean the opposite. But if a coach or mentor shows you fake crusts or tries to exaggerate their significance, this raises questions.

For example, a coach may claim to have been certified by a specialized organization, say, ICF (International Coaching Federation), but in fact just be a member. The difference is that for membership it is enough to pay an entrance fee, but for a certificate it is necessary to prove skills and abilities.

If a coach brags about a stack of such papers to you, do not be too lazy to check the authenticity of at least some of them.

2. A teacher who has no practical experience

Bernard Shaw wrote in his article “On Education”: “He who can do it; who does not know how, he teaches others. This statement is not always true, but it accurately describes teachers who have never applied their knowledge in practice. Such instructors may say generally correct things, but they cannot be used because they are outdated or designed for ideal working conditions.

Moreover, other people's calculations may be wrong, even when it comes to the exact sciences. For example, the Nobel Prize laureate, physicist Richard Feynman in his autobiographical book recalls how he thought over a theory based only on other people's experiments, which is why he came to the wrong conclusions.

I didn't even look at the original data; I, like the last donkey, read only the reports. If I were really a good physicist, I would immediately look, "How accurately do we know that this is T?" - that would be reasonable. Then I would immediately remember that I had already noticed that the proof was unsatisfactory. Since then, I have not paid attention to anything that the "experts" claim. I figure it out myself.

Richard Feynman "Of course you are kidding, Mr. Feynman!"

Tips that haven't been tried in practice can work. But it is better to check their effectiveness for the first time not on yourself. If you don't want to get burned, look for another mentor.

3. A teacher who relies only on his own experience

As vast as one person's experience is, it is too small to draw conclusions from that can be extended to everyone else.

However, this technique is often used by motivating coaches and business trainers. They tell their story and promise to share secrets with listeners so that they can repeat their success. But not the fact that they will succeed. Everything matters here: time, place, past, environment and many other factors.

For example, a coach, based on his success story, says: “Quit your unloved job right now, it limits you. Do not be afraid to start your own business and risk your savings. I left the office and make millions. If the listener is a lonely young man, behind whom is still not old parents with good earnings, he can afford to quit and spend his savings on a risky venture. He has time to get to his feet, and he will not die of hunger. A single mother will have a harder time under these conditions: the well-being of her children depends on the regularity of her income. And on the eve of retirement, it is dangerous for a person to risk savings, since he has practically no time to replenish them in case of failure. This means that all these people need different strategies and the experience of a coach is not suitable here.

The story of one person can be used for inspiration - demonstrating what is already possible. But it is not universal. Therefore, if a teacher is guided only by his own experience and does not take into account the circumstances of the life of other people, this should be alarming.

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4. A teacher who creates a sect around himself

The signs of the sect include, among other things, the Totalitarian sect // Great encyclopedia: In 62 volumes. - M.: Terra, 2006:

• Having an outstanding charismatic leader, a guru who, by default, knows more than anyone else can know.
• Lack of critical thinking, suppression of attempts to think rationally.
• Psychological pressure.

Now imagine an unscrupulous but successful coach who delivers costly multi-stage training. He is, of course, a good speaker and knows how to lead the crowd. Blind adoration and lack of doubt are demanded of his followers. If someone says that the methods do not work, he will be told that he simply has not reached the stage of development to feel it. There is a hierarchy in the group, there is a struggle for a place in it and access to a guru, and you have to pay for promotion. Followers call themselves a word derived from the name of the leader, they call him "guru", "teacher" or no less pretentious.

Such training is not just a waste of money - it is dangerous. In order for a person to pay as much as possible and not doubt the methods of work, his personality will gradually be broken. The student will begin to fence off people who are significant to him, so that they do not track the changes and do not interfere with ripping him off like sticky.

If you see something like this in a coach, stay away from him. Of course, a crowd of admiring admirers usually spontaneously appears around a good teacher. And they will also be ready to tear you to pieces for dissent. But until you fall under the sway of a charismatic leader, it is usually not that hard to tell one from the other.

5. A teacher who acts through insults

Motivation can vary. Some teachers are encouraging. Others choose the opposite method. From them you can hear something like “Is this all you are capable of? Weak! " or "You can never do it, you rag." For some, this motivation works, but that doesn't mean it's good. If insults are the only catalyst for your development, this is a reason to see a psychologist.

The logical reaction of a person to attempts to humiliate him is to leave, and not to prove that the other is wrong.

The teacher should encourage students, not discourage them by labeling them. The ability to show perspective, ways to achieve success motivates just as well. Don't let anyone assert themselves at your expense.

6. A teacher who knows the "secret method"

Many life goals are achieved by very mundane actions. For example, if you want to learn a foreign language, they need to study regularly and a lot. Or if you dream of losing weight, you need to spend more calories than you consume. You won't get much money for such stories.

People love to look for a "magic pill", and charlatans take advantage of it. For example, they sell a secret dry brush massage technique that should get rid of fat deposits on your thighs. And the brush itself, as a rule, is also sold at the same time, because only it will help to get the result. Spoiler alert: won't help.

There are several outcomes in this situation:

1. If the secret technique is accompanied by a change in diet and / or an increase in calorie expenditure, then it will work. But all the laurels will go to the miracle brush.
2. The technique will not work, but you will be accused of simply misapplying it.
3. The technique won't work, but so what. There is a line behind you of the same students with money.

If you are offered a secret knowledge that should quickly and permanently save you from problems, this is usually a lie.

7. A teacher who gives unscientific or unconfirmed knowledge

Such teachers are found everywhere. Trainers and coaches teach women to twirl the queen, wear skirts, and harvest the energy of the earth. And school teachers show videos about telegonia in class.

A mentor, a teacher is usually perceived as an authoritative figure who is well versed in the issue - otherwise why go to him. Therefore, it is important to make sure that his words are supported by science - real research, not secret documents - and relied on the evidence base. Conspiracy theories are best ignored.

8. The motive teacher

There are mentors who talk like quotes from social networks. They are fixated on positive thinking and encourage it in every possible way, they constantly say that thoughts are material. It's not bad as long as everything is in moderation.

But some people forget to tell you that success doesn't just depend on positive thinking. You can imagine yourself with money in your hands as much as you like. But in order to get them, you will have to work hard, limit yourself in some way, develop, spend a lot of time learning new skills. And you can't do without luck here either.

Therefore, it is best to avoid coaches who encourage positive thinking but deprive it of the harsh realities of life.