28th January 2010 9:00
By Blue Tutors
It may not seem obvious why honesty is a particularly important quality to have, at least no more so than in every walk of life. However, if you put yourself in the position of a student then an honest, straightforward teacher is probably something you’ll quickly hold in high regard.
We’re not suggesting that there a lot of dishonest tutors out there; an honest tutor isn’t as oppose to one who will lie, cheat and steal, but completely honesty is something that is sometimes difficult for a teacher.
The best way to illustrate this is probably through example: consider a lesson where a tutor is unsure of exactly how to proceed. This may be because the student has asked a question to which the tutor doesn’t know the answer, or because the tutor has suddenly realised that they are not a competent with the material as they should be. In this situation there can be a temptation for the tutor to cover up the problem, to ‘waffle’ or give an answer which they hope the student will accept.
The trouble is that students are clever. Any attempt to avoid complete honesty will usually quickly become clear, and this creates major problems; the student will begin to lose trust in their tutor, and may begin to question everything the tutor says. This can lead to repeated confusion, and the student will begin to doubt them self when praised by their tutor; how can I be sure I understand this, even if my tutor says so?
A perfectly acceptable response to realising that there’s something you can’t teach is to say so, apologise, and make sure that you can teach it next you next meet the student. There are many fantastic experienced tutors who wouldn’t flinch at admitting that they were unsure of something. It’s not about appearing flawless, but about helping your student as much as possible, and to do that you must be honest.