Nouman Ali Khan – Empathy in Teaching

			My job is to help the ones that are struggling the most.
		

			And you the ones among you that are doing well, you should see yourselves not just as good students,
you should pick up the qualities of good teaching. And the first quality of good teaching is empathy
for your students, meaning you learn to, you need to feel how they feel, to be able to help them you
if you don't develop that, you can give a lecture, you can hear some people call out the answer,
you'll feel good about yourself, because five people kept calling out the answer. And you know, this
becomes an institutional problem to the point where you'll have a school where most students are
struggling, but two kids are doing really well. And at the graduation ceremony, who are they showing
		

			as their product, the two students that are doing really well put them on stage, put them before the
world and all the other 98% of the kids are feeling worthless. And also, you're actually lying to
the public about your product. That's not your product, your best students are not your product.
Actually, to me, your worst students are not your product. And your best students are not your
product, you know what your actual product is? The vast middle, the middle is a large gap. Now some
students don't put in the work. So they stay on the bottom. Some students struggle extra hard, Allah
made some things extra hard for them. They're not a market, they're not a reflection of the success
		

			of a program. Some students are exceptionally good, or they have background, they are also not proof
that the program is any good. Where does the proof lie?
		

			In the middle? How do you take people that are in the middle? And how are you making sure the most
of them are actually getting it and making progress, you understand that the other advice I have for
you as students, one thing that will ruin your learning journey, it will ruin it before it even
begins, is if you compare yourself.
		

			And if you know we are in a social gathering, there are few 100 people sitting here. social
gatherings come with social psychology, you know what that means? You're aware that you're not
alone. So if I pick on you, you're subconsciously Your thought is, what are our other people going
to look at me? Is this going to be on camera? Is this going to be recorded? Well, how are people
seeing me? What if I get the answer wrong? What if I get embarrassed? All of this has nothing to do
with learning. It has to do with your place in society, you understand? So you come into the
classroom, trying to preserve your dignity as a member of society. Listen, let your status leave it
		

			at the door. Leave it out the door, you come here to learn. When you come to learn, there is no
embarrassment, none. You can make the worst mistakes, make them over and over again. You don't care.
Why? Because you didn't come here to prove anything to anyone not even to me. You came here for one
purpose only what is what, which is what to learn. And you can only learn by making mistakes by
asking questions by asking again by asking again. I am not taking away anybody's opportunity to ask
questions. Do I stop talking when one of you asks a question? If I'm in the middle of a sentence,
I'll finish my sentence and then pick on you yes or no? Why? Because you don't come here for me, you
		

			come here for you. And if you sit there with your question, and wonder if you're going to be are you
all stars gonna think this is a stupid question. Or sounds gonna make fun of my question. Of course,
I'm gonna make fun of my your question. That's my entertainment in life. But that doesn't mean you
don't ask a question. Ask your question. Learn to live with the embarrassment. Get over yourself.
		

			Get over it. Learn, which means I don't get it. Do that. Again. I don't understand gender, which
question be specific and be focused, and I'm telling you two things. You will learn like you've
never learned before. And two, you will develop confidence.
		

			You'll just become less worried about what people think look, I'm teaching barefoot online.
		

			Okay.
		

			This is comfy.
		

			Okay, does it doesn't matter. I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone. My job is to teach you.
That's it. Your job is to learn. That's it. Once you get that clarity of thought, all this other
stuff starts disappearing. Unfortunately, unfortunately, unfortunately, many of us come from
education systems, where even inside the classroom, we bring social hierarchy. And that gets in the
way of learning. It actually gets in the way of learning. Okay, so I'm very proud of those of you
that are struggling and still trying. It's not easy. You struggled with the answer, and I'm super
proud of you for trying. It made me really happy that you tried and struggled. Why? Because it takes
		

			guts to do that. It takes guts to do that. Some of you kids are answering even if you get it wrong,
you're trying anyway. The adults are like, Oh, the kids are so smart. I don't want to feel stupid in
front of kids. Why not?
		

			Why not? Is it gonna make you a lesser person?
		

			kids or kids are faster they memorize that you got old, your memory fills you so can you get over
yourself?
		

			You're learning now you should be proud that you're learning now.
		

			You know. So those are the things that I don't want to take too much time away from class but this
is important for you also in life, not just an Arabic class, Chawla.
		

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