Staff only: The classroom's a stage -- and the Oscar goes to... [Independent.ie]
- Published: 12 May 2010
I have always maintained that teaching is similar to acting. You are on show, with an audience and you're trying your best to deliver your lines without making a mess of things.
They're watching you -- checking out what you're wearing and waiting for you to slip up -- that is if you've managed to get their attention in the first place, which of course is where the analogy falls apart. Lose their attention in the theatre and there isn't much you can do, but still, teachers can fight back with a number of weapons. I tend to rely on snide comments, vicious threats and screaming histrionics.
It can't be denied that most teachers are actors of some sort, as they appropriate certain mannerisms, vocabulary and even a costume in the form of the reliable tweed jacket for the men or muted tones for the ladies, all in order to keep some kind of distance that will keep their class under control and their private lives private.
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