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Teaching Professor Newsletter with Maryellen Weimer
Home â?º Articles â?º Teaching Professor Blog â?º Understanding Our Strengths and Weaknesses as Teachers
APRIL 5TH, 2017
Understanding Our Strengths and Weaknesses as Teachers
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD

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Male professor in front of room.
Every teacher has strengths and weaknesses. Have you ever tried to list yours? Doing so is a worthwhile activity. Iâ??d recommend doing it in private with a favorite libationâ??only one, because there is a need to be thoughtful and honest.

Iâ??m still thinking about mid-career issues, and Iâ??m wondering whether by the time we reach the middle of our careers, we canâ??t confront our weaknesses with a bit more maturity.

Teaching Professor Blog Iâ??ve come to believe that some weaknesses simply must be accepted. That doesnâ??t mean we no longer care about them. It doesnâ??t mean we stop trying to improve them, but it does mean theyâ??re never going to be our strengths. Thatâ??s where I am in thinking about my organizational skills. I do fine on paper. I can outline. I understand hierarchy, flow, and the need for transitions, but when I present, itâ??s not always well organized. I get going, and one thing leads to the next: a new idea pops up in my mind, somebody asks a good question that pushes me in an interesting but different direction, and soon I have no idea what Iâ??m supposed to be talking about. Itâ??s the kind of free-flowing style that drives linear, systematic thinkers nuts. I know that, and I try to use strategies that create some order out of the chaos, but presentational organization will never be a teaching strength for me, and thatâ??s OK. Teachers need to accept what they can and canâ??t do well.