Many of my colleagues and friends in the teaching/training world profess to be introverts.
I simply do not understand. You are introverted. You prefer not talking to new people. You chose a profession where each and every day you stand in front of new people and talk. Hmmm.
To me that's like a stripper saying, "Well, really, I'm shy and modest."
HELLO!
There is a spectrum for extraversion-introversion. In other words, you are not just an extrovert or an introvert - you can be anywhere along the scale, where extreme extrovert is on one end and extreme introvert is on the other and there is a lot of overlap in the middle.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't surprise me in the least that people teaching at the college level consider themselves to be introverts. They are able to give lectures and engage people but yet not have a very personal connection with them (unless they choose to). If they can get over the talking in front of others - it would be a natural fit for many introverts.
I consider myself to be an extrovert. Yet, teaching is not something I would find easy to do. I do NOT enjoy public speaking and probably never will. It is one of the main reasons I have not run for political office. The main other reason is all of the dishonesty involved and having to compromise on things I personally would never be able to compromise on. Yet, getting on stage was very easy for me - I had lines to speak (that were not my own) and I could become another person. A lot of actors/actresses consider themselves to be introverts, for the record.
For most extroverts - they need social interaction and immediate feedback. That is why I enjoy working with kids and being a social worker and also why I tend to have lots of friends and acquaintances in my life. My husband considers himself to be an introvert - but he doesn't come across that way to others. He says that on the inside, he has to push himself to make social interactions, but he does very much enjoy them. He also says he had to become more outgoing in order to get a word in edgewise in our marriage! LOL
Some of food for thought -
ReplyDeleteThink about the introverted teachers and the extroverted teachers who you know. What type of interactions occur in their class? Is it strictly lecture? Is there dialogue? How does the teacher react when they are asked a question? I'd be willing to bet there are general patterns in a teacher's behavoir depending on how they are "typed."
This may be from my personal experiences alone, but I've found that far more often, the more seemingly extroverted I've labeled a teacher, the easier I'd come to understand them during their lectures. This isn't to say that I've seen bad teachers who I felt were extraverted and visa versa.
I think some introverts are comfortable in teaching professions because in a situation where they feel they are in control, their introvertism (is there such a word?) is not challenged. Even with questions and answer sessions, the teacher is still in control. I think you would be surprised to learn how many introverted and/or genuinely shy people there are involved in occupations that require them to overcome perceived weaknesses.
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