The Imaginary Mean Teacher That Keeps Me Productive
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I have had a very bad experience with a teacher. When I was in primary school, I was criticized for having some rather bad handwriting. My teacher was not pleased and said some nasty things of me in front of the class. Naturally, I wasn't happy too. As a kid that was entering his teenage years, I had a temper. Thus, I grumbled silently as I walked back to my seat.
Unfortunately, I wasn't as quiet as I hoped to be and the teacher heard me grumbling. I was called back to the front and what happened next was a blur. If you have been hit in the head or slapped, you know what I mean. If you were expecting it, its easy to block or dodge it. I wasn't expecting it and the full weight of the teacher's palm made contact with my left and right cheeks repeatedly. When it was all over, there was numbness in my cheek but the pain came later, just that the pain was somewhat different.
I have been slapped before but this felt like a cut and I touched my lips only to find blood dripping down my cracked lips. The teacher was wearing a ring and it had cut into my lips as I was being slapped. As much as a teacher should not hit a student, I share some fault for not keeping my big mouth shut. For the record I don't blame the teacher but we all have that one mean teacher in our lives. I hope yours is not as painful nor dramatic as mine but this mean teacher has become somewhat of an imaginary avatar in my head.
Keeping Me Productive
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Ever since I have started my study leave and left my nine to five job behind (temporarily), I have started taking on several projects and tasks. One of them was to complete academic articles and my thesis on time. The problem though is that there are so many things that call out to me, demanding my attention. There's the different cool new shows that have been released, Altered Carbon, Star Trek Discovery and The Walking Dead. Plus, don't get me started with the new games and old games like Counterstrike. Bottom line is that there are just so many other better more exciting things to do aside from completing my work.
Worse of all, there is no immediate repercussion if I do not complete my work quick. Well, not until three years later when I have to submit my full thesis. Deep down, I know that it is more practical to start early and thus, I have enlisted the help of my imaginary mean teacher to keep me on task. I name her Ms Q.
Every morning Ms Q would provide me a list of tasks to complete. If I am able to complete these tasks, she leaves me alone. However, if I don't complete my tasks, she yells in my ear and I feel a sense of failure for not completing my work.
So, How Do I Get Myself a Mean Teacher
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I hope up till this point, you know that Ms Q is but my imagination. That being said, if all of you freelancers and students out there are wondering if you should conjure up a Ms Q, I would say it depends. If your work is not time sensitive like mine, you would probably need an imaginary motherly figure instead.
The point really in having an imaginary mean teacher yelling in my head, is to do with how I am driven to complete my work. Even in the classroom setting, the most driven students have an objective in mind, they are driven to study because they are hoping to achieve a particular objective in life. Thus, think of your short and medium term objectives. Once you have clearly defined these objectives, set some consequences for not achieving them. If you don't want to go the 'extra mile' to conjure up an imaginary Ms Q, perhaps cut down on your Steemit or Facebook time for not completing them.
The point of this is to increase one's productivity in order to accomplish more tasks in a day. Perhaps you are struggling to complete your research, Steemit post or your half completed book. Either way, setting some consequences could motivate you to stop procrastinating.
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Conclusion
I have found Ms Q especially useful in the first few semesters in completing and defending my proposal in less than a year. Before I started, I was advised to take one year off and enjoy myself before starting my work. Ms Q however disagreed and I was strongly encouraged by it ('it' because she's not real... I think) to complete my work fast.
I hope this post has been entertaining if not somewhat useful. If you find yourself procrastinating, why not conjure up your own Ms Q and give it a try? Consequences does make a difference when it comes to increasing one's productivity. If you have your own Ms Q, do share about it in the comments below.
The author is currently completing his doctorate and may experience the occasional PHD (Permanent Head Damage) as a result of his studies. Rest assured, he is perfectly sane.
Hi discourd friend! What a nice Article, I have experienced the same during my school. In this era, we wouldn't find similar kind of teacher anymore and it makes students disrespect us, especially when you are teaching in luxury school like me. But to be honest old-fashioned teacher encourages us more than up-to-date teacher, they motivate us in "special ways", make us study and wont let us drown in laziness and procrastination!
Hey there, well, while that may be true.. I am worried that we are training our students to respond only to fear and punishment. I had a similar experience where a student would not do my homework simply because I was the only teacher who was 'nice'..and that worries me
yes, but this old-fashion could not be apply any longer. Maybe we could try instead of being mean or using physical punishment as 21st century we can show persistence on our rules, I am trying to emphasize my rules at the beginning of the school year and also the consequence if they are did not follow the rule, and make sure we will do the same to all students, so they will find out that we are firm teacher and we mean whatever we have said. In the end when they starting to know our teaching style, they will follow the rule. No need tense, they will respect you as you are their teacher.This is what I am trying to apply in my class. TBH my students are worst, and we need to get rid of this kind of destructive behavior because it contagious to other students. Feel free to write article about "students behavior" sir @alvinauh I will be great to read it and I can study from it!
God, dear, I did not think I heard something like this in the 21st century, it's touching, your article, I remember when a fourth grade teacher hit me, the head of the blackboard because I did not answer the multiplication table, but later when I grew up . It was, my best friend and counselor, hahaha; Until my transportation, it took me from one city to another where I finished my studies.
I was a teacher for many years and, although in some situation it provokes, slapping someone, I am not capable, they are creatures, of God and we should not mistreat anyone, but take care and give love.
Hey there! thanks for stopping by..yeah they are and I would never bring myself to hitting someone..well..maybe a nice pat on the back for a job well done. oh dear... hitting your head on the blackboard? that's quite brutal.
Same here, something similar happened to me when I was a kid.
But what I'm going to say is not about being productive. I'm tried of top-down teaching/learning at young ages. Now I always remind myself that I must give room for my boy to make some mistakes like forgetting to a book to school or having some ugly handwriting.
Everyone learns from mistakes and grow. I do think making mistakes is a great way to learn. What matters most is I want my boy to be resilient and positively respond.
Well, really at this moment something like this happens, I do not believe it, and if it happens, it will be a serious sanction. On the other hand, maybe you do not have to fight and another, you can never do that to a child. Although with time it served to complete your things.
That never happened to me, although I lived in fear with my English teacher, because in Venezuela, Spanish is spoken, and entering English classes was a challenge.
I think students in my country share similar fears. Our first language consists of either mandarin or malay, so most students do not like english classes very much. But hey, as an English teacher, the fun is in the challenge of making it fun!
Hey @alvinauh if you were my kid that teacher wouldn't be walking the next day.
Maybe it's a cultural thing where I come from but nobody touches a person's kid. That's a death wish.
Sorry ,not trying to be too dramatic but no kid should be ever subject to that type of extreme abuse.
That should be intolerable anywhere in this World.
Oh, my dad nearly sued the teacher but she 'apologized'. It used to be that teachers could do whatever they want, but not anymore
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True, we all need someone to give us that shove once in a while.
Yup, imaginary fren who keep pushing do good work could help as long as we not the one who sabotage it later .. after all we should know ourself better. Good post as a reminder @alvinauh 👍
Thank you, do you have that one imaginary motivator too?
Yet to think one.. lol. But I used to talk to myself about anything before I do something.. it is like having a conversation to oneself. When I m feeling down .. ya I frequently do that to get comfort.