Why Are So Many Teachers & Professors Boring?
I hated learning until I graduated college.
Most of my teachers were so boring.
I tried my best not to fall asleep in class.
By the time I graduated, I learned the art of learning.
In my book, Modern Day Polymath, I talk about how to become self-educated in something.
Scrolling the internet, asking strategic questions, teaching others, and recalling what I learned allowed me to learn topics like mathematics, neuro-linguistics, public speaking, and much more.
By the time I learned how to learn, I thought I would love learning in general.
Even from boring professors.
But one day, on my first day of work, I had to attend an orientation.
We were in a classroom setting, listening to a lady talk about what to expect from our jobs.
She was reading off PowerPoint slides, breezing through the talking points, and speaking in a monotone voice.
I was bored out of my mind.
I thought, “I have to do 8 hours of this? How am I going to stay awake?”
Why Teachers Are Boring
Teachers are often boring because they just don’t get it.
Yep, it’s that simple.
They don’t understand the purpose of teaching.
The purpose of teaching is to ensure the student truly understands.
But many teachers approach teaching with a “me mentality.”
They focus on getting credit for grading papers, structuring lectures, or covering all the content in the syllabus.
Their delivery often sucks:
- They’re monotonous.
- They stand in one spot the entire time.
- They often don’t want to teach.
Many professors are researchers who are forced into teaching positions because the school doesn’t want to hire another resource.
A lack of passion, teaching skills, and awareness creates bad teachers.
Are Lectures Effective?
Many people blame lectures for the ineffectiveness of modern-day teaching, but I think lectures are the wrong scapegoat.
The biggest issue is timing.
Lectures work well, but when you deliver the lecture matters.
Too often, teachers jump straight into the lecture, which is just a collection of points and theories.
What they should do instead is:
- Share an interactive story that relates the content to the students, or
- Start with a mini-lab.
Either of these before the lecture can transform the school system.
For example:
If you’re teaching about electrical circuits, talk about how circuits power their homes. Explain how every digital device in their house—routers, remotes, microwaves—relies on electrical circuits.
Then, take it further.
Have the student bring in an old, broken electronic device, like a Roku remote.
Conduct a lab where they try to fix it.
Once they fix it, they’ll be in awe.
Now, a lecture will be effective because the talking points will be absorbed by the intellectual mind, which is engaged after the emotional narrative is sparked.
Calling Out Bad Teachers
I remember a video of a long-haired kid blasting his teacher for her laziness.
Many called the kid disrespectful, but honestly, I felt good about the kid.
Sometimes, bad teachers need to be called out.
Teachers often get sympathy points because people say:
- They don’t get paid enough.
- Students don’t respect them.
- Teachers are “raising the future generation.”
While these points are valid, we need to criticize bad teaching more.
Bad teachers ruin learning for kids.
For the longest time, I thought learning was the worst thing ever.
But when I discovered how to strategically use the internet, I realized that learning is amazing…when done correctly.
If You’re a Student Reading This
Don’t rely on others to teach you.
Times have changed.
When I was in school, I had to depend on teachers or textbooks.
And let’s be honest, textbooks were just a more boring version of the most boring teacher.
Nowadays, you have engaging YouTube channels, documentaries, and fun resources.
Take learning into your own hands.
If You’re a Teacher Reading This
Get your students more involved.
- Don’t just talk their ears off with theories and lectures.
- Conduct labs.
- Ask questions that make them think.
- Spend time with students one-on-one.
By doing this, you’ll redefine your public speaking skills and teach at a level your students never imagined.
Be a great teacher, my friend.
The world needs more leaders and fewer people teaching just for a paycheck.
For more insights into public speaking, check out the Speaking Wizard eBook
