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The Teacher and Learner Paradox

The Teacher and Learner Paradox.

At times the roles of teacher and learner are not always clearly defined or mutually exclusive. In many situations, the teacher is also a learner, and the learner is also a teacher.
As a teacher is okay to feel pride in the subject matter we teach. But it is wrong to believe that our job is only to impart knowledge to our pupils.

On one hand, a teacher is expected to have expertise in a particular subject area and to impart that knowledge to their pupils. However, in the process of teaching, the teacher often gains new insights and learns new things about the subject matter or from the learner He/She teaches. 

At the start of my career as a Teach For Nigeria  fellow teaching in a public primary school. I was somehow drawn back to the opportunity of teaching in a primary class, as I wanted a secondary class, thinking the primary class will not be a challenging experience for me. 

So far if I must say the experience has humbled me as I still got to read and understand whatever topic I'm teaching to my learners and working with my learners in the basic class has reinvented and allowed me to learn new approaches in teaching my subject matter to learners, most especially the marginalized ones. 

On the other hand, a learner is typically seen as someone who lacks knowledge and skills in a particular area and is seeking to acquire them from a teacher. 

In essence, is better as a teacher to have a good understanding of what to teach so as not to derail away from the true lessons of the subject or topic matter as your learners sometimes lack the knowledge and they will be at a losing end if they are just receiving the wrong information of a subject matter from you.

However, the learner may also bring their own experiences and knowledge to the learning process, which can enrich the educational experience for both the learner and the teacher. 

That's why it's important to run a baseline assessment and know the socio-emotional behavioral skills of our learners, to know how to engage with them in the learning process, sometimes If there's a language barrier, it will be nice to speak and teach in the language they understand. 

It is important to also allow your learners to get to know you better and let them be free to communicate and share whatever they have in mind, as sometimes their ideas or communication will bring in the opportunity for a teacher to know where and how to come in while delivery it's lesson or teaching objective to the learners.

In practice, the teacher and learner paradox can lead to more effective and meaningful learning experiences when both parties are open to the idea of learning from each other. By recognizing that learning is a two-way street, teachers can create a more collaborative and interactive learning environment that benefits everyone involved.
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