#13: Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results

This article explains how writer Joanne Lipman's music teacher, Mr. Jerry Kupchynsky, was extremely tough on them in class. Lipman says they would practice over and over again, but while it sucked at the time, it paid off in the future. Mr. Kupchynsky may of been harsh on his students, but his teaching strategies were effective. Lipman shares eight principles inspired by his former teacher. First: a little pain is good for you, meaning that students need constructive, even painful, feedback. Secondly: drill, baby, drill. Teachers need to drill their students with facts so that the students memorize fact and become fluent in them. Thirdly: failure is an option. Students learn from their mistakes and moments of failure and it also does not hurt their self-esteem as much as people say it does. Fourthly: strict is better than nice. When teachers are more strict on their students, the students will realize they need to work harder. Fifthly, creativity can be learned. Students are not born geniuses, they become smarter through their experiences and creativity. Sixthly, grit trumps talent. Seventhly, praise makes you weak. Students always need to be pushed harder in their abilities. Lastly, while stress makes your strong. Teachers need to instill confidence in their students so that their students will have the faith in themselves to do better. His strategies may not be the best for all teachers and students, but his strategies do show discipline.

In my opinion, Mr. Kupchynsky's teaching strategy was effective in many ways. Although his students categorized him as "strict", he instilled discipline into his students. I liked how one of his former students wrote this article because it shows that although his class was hard, he was a memorable teacher. Teachers need to be tough on their students. I agree that some teaching strategies need to go back to the old-fashion education. To some extent, teaching these days has become to lax because now a days teachers get in trouble for the smallest things when it comes to their students. Teachers need to be a little strict with their students. Students need to learn from their mistakes and even learn from themselves and others as they experience new things. Teachers are there to guide their students to being the best they could be.