Today’s classrooms are the last opportunities for teachers to be effective. Teachers should take inventory of their behaviors and ingest a dose of their own medicine. Adults love to pride themselves as grown-ups but sometimes our behavior contradicts that idea. Will adults, especially teachers, ever grow up or will they continue to act like the students that they serve each day?

Over the past week, I have observed that educators act just like their students when they are thrust into a similar situation. Thirty-four teachers chose to subject themselves to a rigorous 2-week journalism-training institute covering everything from writing editorials to sports coverage and technology software programs.

On the first day, we received our ground rules.

Punctuality: The professors stressed the importance of being on time and attendance. For the most part, the teachers managed the “be on time” part of the rules. Although 2-15 minute breaks were scheduled in each day, time flew by extremely fast when participants stimulated the Austin economy with frappes, lattés and iced coffees all in the name of staying awake after lunch. Hence 15 minutes turned into 18 minutes.

Technology: Professors asked participants to avoid using cell phones and texting during class as a courtesy to other participants but most importantly out of respect to the speakers. While the majority of the participants resisted the urge to do so, there were some teachers who did not resist that urge. I wonder what message would be sent to our speakers if all the teachers chose to carry on silent electronic conversations?

Nappers, gum blowers and poppers, and side conversations were common and constant. Some participants were not able to hear what the speakers were talking about during their neighbors’ conversations.

Today the teachers were assigned a lab, scheduled to run from 5-7 P.M. Once the speakers left, so did some of the teachers. Let me hasten to add that some teachers went to other places in the building to take advantage of additional tutorials. That was a good thing; however, I can’t help but think that some of them went on their merry ways. Does this reek of student behavior?

Finally, the slackers versus the go-getters emerged. Some participants felt that they needed explicit instructions and therefore, shut down when their work was completed. The teachers were charged with a group project, not individual contributions.

While I don’t wish to offend my colleagues by pointing fingers, I do want to highlight the idea that teachers are very much like the students they teach. Teachers want their students to be model students, yet when the tables are turned and they have to practice what they preach, the teachers actually fall short.

Teachers want students to always be cognizant of what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Teachers want them to be attentive while they the teachers are the sages on the stages. Teachers want to witness the students giving their “all in all” when they have allotted class time to work. Teachers want students to manage their time well. Teachers want this for the “good ones” and the “not so good ones.”

As an experienced teacher of 20 years, I have become a lifetime learner. Every time I have the opportunity to learn something new, I am reminded of the constant plight of my students. Every day when they enter my classes, they don’t always want to be there; they don’t always feel well; they don’t always care about my rules; they don’t always care about appropriate behavior; they don’t always come with homework completed. So it becomes my duty to understand my students’ feelings. It is hypocritical of us to ask our students to do something that we aren’t willing to do ourselves. Let’s practice what we preach.