Tag: confidence

It’s all about volume

Last week I wrote how teachers should be confident. I also mentioned that confidence and cockiness are not one in the same. I think there’s a major way to tell the difference between the two:

Confidence is quiet and cockiness is loud.

It’s all about volume. I like the term “quiet confidence,” but I think it’s redundant. It’s almost like saying “cold ice.” Of course confidence is quiet. If it were loud, it wouldn’t be confidence (likewise, ice would be liquid).

Cockiness, by its nature, is loud. A cocky person isn’t quiet about what he knows or can do. If he were, he’d be confident.

Volume is always a good litmus test.

Educator confidence

As a teacher, confidence is good.

Some think a good teacher is a meek teacher. Quiet. Reserved. Introverted. Not sure of what to say. No opinion.

It’s imperative for teachers to be professionally confident. Would you like a confident surgeon when she’s about to give you a knee replacement? Would you like a confident attorney before you go to trial? Would you like a confident contractor who’s going to install your pool?

The same logic applies to education. Do you want a confident first grade teacher who’s going to instill a love of science in your child? Do you want a confident 7th grade English teacher who will teach your child how to write precisely and concisely? Do you want a confident math teacher who will explain calculus in a way that will help your child when she’s an engineering student at Cal Poly, SLO?

Don’t confuse confidence with cockiness. The confident person is actually the furthest thing from cocky.

It’s time for all teachers to be confident–just like effective professionals in other fields.