Can introverts be teachers
Do Introverts Have the Right Teacher Characteristics to Succeed?
From cooperative learning groups to school cafeterias and homecoming pep rallies, today's schools seem designed for gregarious extroverts—both students and teachers alike. But what about introverts? Do they have the necessary teacher characteristics to succeed in this profession? Or would introverted teachers feel too much like a fish out of water?
What Is an Introvert?Many successful teachers are self-described introverts, and one of the biggest misconceptions about this personality type is that they're shy. In her TED Talk, "The Power of Introverts," best-selling author Susan Cain explains the difference.
"Introversion is more about how you respond to stimulation, including social stimulation," said Cain, who's an introvert herself. "Extroverts really crave large amounts of stimulation, whereas introverts feel at their most alive, their most switched-on, and their most capable, when they're in quieter, more low-key environments.
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Self-identified introverts admit teaching may pose challenges, but those challenges are seldom with the students. Other parts of the job can be much more nerve-racking.
"I'm an introvert," said Liz Barry, a reading intervention teacher from Milwaukee, WI. "It doesn't affect my teaching or talking to parents, but I can tell around coworkers. Large groups of coworkers especially."
Further Reading: A Teacher Evaluation Checklist
Karen Covington, a transition/life skills teacher for 18- to 21-year-olds in Bakersfield, CA, agrees. "I can barely call and order my own pizza," she said. "I have to drag myself to special occasions, and can barely stand among my peers when asked to talk about something, but put me in a room full of kids, and I have zero problems."
Communicating with coworkers, parents, and other adults can be stressful, but thanks to technology, teachers are now better able to manage this aspect of the job.
Preferring time to think or craft written responses, many introverts find that communicating through digital platforms, including e-mail, helps them express their opinions and ideas, while avoiding the awkwardness they might feel during face-to-face interactions.
Unstructured times, such as time spent in hallways or the lunchroom, can be overstimulating and draining for introverts. But once inside their classroom, teachers are the CEO of the class. Many introverts enjoy the freedom of planning their own day and structuring their classroom environment.
Alex Rose, a high school special education teacher from Owatonna, MN, describes herself as an outgoing introvert. She embraces the freedom of teaching in a classroom. "I find that lessons where I plan to be a little crazy—like a couple days ago, when I danced around the room with my trash can—work well for me. I get uncomfortable doing lecture-type teaching, but I love being so silly that it almost forces engagement.
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Some introverts naturally feel more relaxed around students, while others find teaching to be like performing on stage, which allows them to temporarily express a more extroverted or silly side of themselves. "I'm definitely an introvert," said Amber Seck, an elementary school counselor from Paola, KS. "But working with kids feels different, and I can make a fool out of myself without problem, and laugh while I'm doing it."
Consider Nontraditional Teaching SpacesNow, becoming a regular education teacher with a class of 30 students may not be the best fit for every introvert. All the introverts interviewed for this article described their teacher characteristics as better suited for jobs in settings other than traditional classroom.
Further Reading: Teacher Graduates find RX for success in time management tips
"I teach in a self-contained class of nine kids with five aides," said Susan Jeltsch, a special education teacher in Vancouver, WA.
"It's much better than when I taught 30 kids. There were literally days when it was so overwhelming that I didn't even get a chance to check in with my quieter students."
Teaching can be stressful and exhausting for anyone, but particularly for introverts. Whether it's prep time during the day or quiet time at home, introverts must take care of themselves and seek out the solitude they need to recharge.
"Taking care of myself outside of school is important," Jeltsch said. "I need lots of sleep, exercise, and alone time in order to keep up with the demands of this job."
Introverts can be teachers. They may not lead school assemblies or direct the marching band, but they play a critical role in every school. If you're an introvert who's passionate about teaching, don't hold yourself back—go for it!
Introverts Can Be Good Teachers, Too. We Just Need a Moment of Silence.
Introverts Can Be Good Teachers, Too.
We Just Need a Moment of Silence.
I have always been an introvert. Don’t get me wrong, I love people, but like most introverts, I inevitably reach a point when the lights go off. You can see it in my glazed-over eyes, half-laugh and glances toward the classroom door, longing for the school day to end. I need stillness, time to recharge and process and I often do my best thinking when I am alone. You would think someone like me would have ruled out teaching as a career a long time ago, but a part of me could never let the dream go.
When I decided to enter the classroom, I hoped to have time to adjust to the daily lifestyle of being a teacher in constant contact with students, parents and colleagues. Instead, I became overwhelmed and overstimulated almost immediately, feeling like I was hit by a speeding freight train for seven hours a day, five days a week. I was in a constant state of fight or flight, which triggered a lot of anxiety in my body. I could feel my heart racing from the time I got in bed on a school night to the next morning when I walked into the school building, knowing the uninterrupted chaos and pure human contact I was about to subject myself to that day.
In light of these reflections, I am curious how we can create classrooms that support the unique mental and emotional landscapes of students and teachers. Granted, I am aware my teaching needs may be unique to my circumstances; despite that, I can’t imagine I’m alone in my call for a moment of silence.
The Archetype of a “Good Teacher”
There’s no denying that there is a prevailing archetype of what a good teacher looks like in the U.S. Ms. Frizzle, the fearless teacher and conductor of “The Magic School Bus”, has been a prominent example of this archetype since the 1990s. She had all the essential features of what most: the enigmatic, inexhaustible extravert that is always excited to teach students, no matter where the journey leads them.
A scene from episode 37 of The Magic School Bus, “Get Planted", where the students and Ms. Frizzle learn how plants make food.
The internet makes it easy to see this type of teacher in all their glory: enthusiastic lesson delivery, over-the-top call and responses and beautiful classroom decor. For a time, I imagined myself as that teacher, too. As a science teacher and a former PBS kid, I wanted to be Ms. Frizzle so badly. But after grading, family communication, handling behaviors, planning, data response and simply straightening my room up after the daily tornado of 140 eleven-year-olds, I don’t think even Ms. Frizzle would have an ounce of energy left. Teaching was a career I pursued because I knew the impact I wanted to have; I just didn’t know the personality shift I would be asked to undergo to be considered successful. When I couldn’t sustain such a high energy level throughout the seven-hour day, I felt like I’d failed.
I find it hard to continue to say that I love teaching when I don’t love what it becomes – a demand to burn the candle at both ends.
Recently, I told my academic coach that I just needed more stillness in my day.
For nearly any other profession, that would be easily attainable. For teachers, it’s a near impossibility. I enjoy the planning that goes into being a teacher: the summer PD sessions, nerding out with my content team, planning engaging lessons and being thoughtful about ELL and EE accommodations. However, once the school year kicked in, the energy I built preparing for the school year left me. The part of me that loves interacting with students, hearing about their lives and enjoying their quirky personalities was burnt out by my third class. The part of me that loves planning felt rushed and chaotic during my 47-minute planning period. I find it hard to continue to say that I love teaching when I don’t love what it becomes – a demand to burn the candle at both ends.
One day, after feeling acutely overstimulated, overwhelmed and under-prepared, I headed for the door after a long school day. As I glided out of the building with the tide of students, all excitedly chatting with their friends about after-school plans, I heard my name being yelled over the hallway commotion.
I turned around, fried as I’d ever been, and yelled, “WHAT?!” Once the exclamation of my voice came down, I found myself face to face with two of my ELL students, Kerolos and Michelle, holding up a giant homemade card with my name on it signed by their entire class. I nearly broke into tears as I thanked them profusely and apologized for yelling.
In those moments, I wondered what kind of teacher I could be if I had more time to self-regulate. What if I’d been able to enjoy my lunch break outside, instead of enforcing a silent lunch? What if my school employed a co-teaching model to reduce the mental load of being the only adult in the room? What if my students got recess every day so that I could spend those 30 minutes building relationships with them in a joyful, unstructured environment? These are the tiny adjustments that fall to the lowest priority of a school, but at that moment, I felt like they could have been my saving grace.
A Moment of Silence (for Everybody)
My strength is that I see those kids - Alex, my under-the-desk reader who reminds me of myself in sixth grade, getting busted for reading inside my desk during math.
Sumaya, the silent scientist who will never volunteer to share but has a brilliant mind and exceptional ability to model scientific concepts. Mauricio, an enthusiastic learner who is hesitant to speak up in class but cheers loudly during the Hispanic Heritage Month morning announcements when Guatemalan Independence Day gets a shoutout. Middle school is notorious for being the domain for teacher and student extroverts. Among the melee of people, it is usually those with louder voices who rise above the crowd.
Though I debate leaving the profession altogether, I can’t help but wonder what could be different. We know that teachers are leaving the classroom in droves. If this has been my experience, what does that mean for neurodiverse teachers? For teachers who are easily overstimulated? For teachers who don’t fit the mold of the type-A extrovert? I want to believe that there are inherent strengths to being an introvert in the classroom, but they can only be accessed in a school environment that embraces stillness for teachers and students, alike.
The teaching environment can be much more sustainable for all with just a little bit of quiet time.
5 Tips for Teachers on Dealing with Introverts and Extroverts in the Classroom
Photos: Pixabay/Wikimedia commons. Illustration: Yulia Zamzhitskaya
Natalia Rakus, lecturer at the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology at the Synergy University, tells how a teacher can use knowledge about extraversion and introversion to find an approach to children with very different temperaments.
Extraversion and introversion are personality traits that show how open a person is to the outside world. An extrovert "lives in and through others": the external world is more important for him than internal experiences. An introvert, on the contrary, is always turned inward, he puts his inner world above what is happening around him.
Of course, these are extreme manifestations of extraversion and introversion. Most people are ambiverts, i.e.
they combine both traits. At the same time, it is practically impossible to forcibly transform a person with a predominant introversion into an extrovert (and vice versa). Such attempts can only harm his psyche. Therefore, it is important for the teacher to take into account the personal characteristics of the child and observe how he interacts with the world around him. This will help make the learning process more efficient and more comfortable for everyone.
Who and how to call to the blackboard
Extroverted children like to show off and are not afraid of publicity in the form of answers at the blackboard. Introverted children, on the contrary, do not like to speak at the blackboard in front of the whole class and can be confused, even if they know the answer perfectly.
This does not mean that introvert children should not be called to the board at all. Just don't choose them in the first place. Such a child needs time to internally prepare for this test.
In addition to calling the board, there are many other methods of testing knowledge. And you can develop the skill of public speaking and oratory in alternative ways. For example, introverted children often play in a theater circle with great pleasure.
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Group work vs individual work
An extrovert feels great in a team, it is more difficult for him to complete tasks alone. So such children are prescribed any formats of work in groups. At the same time, it is important for the teacher not to combine several pronounced extroverts into a group - this can lead to conflict due to competition for the attention of others.
Individual work is much more suitable for an introvert. The participation of outsiders does not motivate him, but rather annoys and distracts him.
What tasks to give
The strength of an extrovert is multitasking and ease.
He is well suited for exercises where you need to use quick reactions and short-term memory. For example, vocabulary dictation or brainstorming.
At the same time, routine is fatal for an extrovert. It is almost impossible to keep the attention of such a student with tasks like “write a definition” or “draw a graph”. Where better to ask him to give examples from life or draw a term from a textbook in the form of a rebus.
Extroverted children often act impulsively and chaotically, the reaction is ahead of comprehension. However, this can also be used for the benefit of the educational process - for example, when you need to do something quickly and make many small independent decisions (for example, how to quickly decorate a class for a holiday).
Introverts tend to be more analytical and system thinkers. They can be offered to compile a comparative table or write an essay, set up a multi-day experiment with a detailed analysis of what is happening.
At the same time, it is important to give enough time for this - introverts do not like to work in a hurry and show worse results if they are rushed.
How to point out mistakes
It is very important for a teacher to establish personal contact with an introverted child. It is advisable to address him by his first name (not by his last name), be sure to establish eye contact when communicating, you can strengthen it with a light touch. For a successful dialogue, it is worth warning the child in advance what will be discussed in order to give him time to comprehend.
Extroverts depend on the opinions of others, not only teachers: the opinion of their peers is no less important to them. Therefore, if a teacher begins to scold such a student for missteps in front of everyone, this can be perceived very painfully for him, since it undermines his social image. Therefore, remarks to an extrovert should also be made in a personal conversation, not in front of the whole class.
How to unite dissimilar children in a class
“I have experience with sports coaches in hockey, and I know that in hockey teams there is a clear division: attacking guys are most often extroverts, while defenders and rear are introverts. You can recommend special tasks for the class that take into account the characteristics of different children and give everyone the opportunity to express themselves. For example, to hold thematic discussion platforms for all students with division into groups: introverts search, study and compare data on a given topic, extroverts prepare public speeches, hold debates and defend presentations. It is important for a teacher to remember that it is important for any children in school to feel like a part of a formed team, including through such concepts as “we”, “our”, “common”, “our class”, “our affairs”, “our successes”, “our problems”, etc. In such a friendly and supportive team, introverts and extroverts will be able to work together, show their strengths and “pump” weaknesses. Related materials: If you like the materials on the Pedagogical Council, subscribe to our Telegram channel to be the first to know about events. Subscribe Primary teacher … 
And only through concerted action and a sensitive pedagogical approach can they win."
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22 responses
Last - Go to
#1
the introvert switches students' activities 3-4 times, which corresponds to the capabilities of introverted students.
In the first case, extroverts study with interest, but what do introverts do?They, not having time to complete one task, receive successively one after another, the following tasks. , which contributes to nervous tension.
With an introvert teacher, introvert students study thoughtfully, consistently achieving their goals, while extrovert students suffer from idleness and interfere with the work of the teacher and introvert students.
If in the first case we form neuroticism and psychosomatics in students, then in the second case - attention deficit disorder.
The teacher must take into account the behavior of extroverts and introverts, emotionally stable and emotionally unstable, in order to have the necessary understanding of the child and apply the most effective methods of teaching children of different abilities and children of different personality types. He will be able to do this provided that there are up to 20 students in the class. "
An extrovert will give a lot of tasks and introverted children will not have time to switch.
And for introverts just right. That is, both of them will have time to complete the tasks.
#2
#3
9000 #4 9000 9000
#6
#7
introAvert, literate
We hear from the literate. Introvert. I copied the quote from the article of the candidate of pedagogical sciences.
I think he's smarter than you! February 04, 2010 Good teachers do not come from what type they are, but from their possession of teaching methods, interest in children, love for school and their work. And everything else is just nonsense. You don’t tell me, my child is an introvert, do you think he will be able to go to school ???
Of course, he can, just if he is asked questions one after another and changes tasks very quickly, he will not have time to solve them. While he is thinking about one question, the teacher will have already moved on to another, and this child may end up with gaps. Therefore, it is recommended that the teacher see what kind of children he has in the class and evenly distribute tasks, without slowing down some and not introducing others into a stupor. Although who now takes this into account in the modern school? Maybe only paid.
#9
At first it was hard for me, I was even afraid to start working, I thought nothing would come of it because of my temperament, melancholic temperament.
But no! Working! I like it too!
#10
#11
9000 #12 9000
#13
#14
I think the children will be fine with me. Golden middle all w)
#15
#16
#17
#18
Guest
I am an introvert - but I work with preschool children.
You understand that when working with such kids, emotions should be over the top, you need to be able to interest them with intonation, somewhere you raised your voice, somewhere you lowered it, somewhere you said it in a conspiratorial voice. In a word, you need to be an actor in order to cope, since in children of this age the attention dissipates very quickly and you need to be interesting for them all the time.
At first it was hard for me, I was even afraid to start working, I thought that nothing would come of it because of my temperament, melancholic temperament. But no! Working! I like it too!
#19
Vega
I am not a parent of younger students, but it is clear that with an introverted teacher, both extroverted and introverted students can learn normally. Here is the opinion of a teacher-psychologist, candidate of pedagogical sciences:
"An extrovert teacher switches students' activities during the lesson 10-12 times, which contributes to the activation of the cognitive activity of extraverts.
And an introvert teacher switches students' activities 3-4 times, which corresponds to the capabilities of introvert students. In the first case, extroverts study with interest "But what do introverts do? They, not having time to do one task, receive successively one after another, the following tasks. A crisis situation sets in, which contributes to nervous tension.
With an introvert teacher, introvert students study thoughtfully, consistently achieving their goals, while extrovert students suffer from idleness and interfere with the work of the teacher and introvert students.
If in the first case we form neuroticism and psychosomatics in students, then in the second case? attention deficit disorder.
The teacher must take into account the behavior of extroverts and introverts, emotionally stable and emotionally unstable, in order to have the necessary understanding of the child and apply the most effective methods of teaching children of different abilities and children of different personality types.
He will be able to do this provided that there are up to 20 students in the class. "
An extrovert will give a lot of tasks and introverted children will not have time to switch. And for introverts just right. That is, both of them will have time to complete the tasks.
#20
#21
I am an introvert. Work was a nightmare for me and the kids too. I love children, but I could barely cope with a choleric child. I broke down, cried right in class, I was depressed. I suffered, I thought that I did not have enough experience, with time I will succeed. But it only got worse. The children behaved as they wanted. There were very few children whom I could teach. As a result, relatives told me to leave. Because my mental state left much to be desired.
