Teaching is anti-clickbait.
Clickbait is an eye-catching headline that promises more than it delivers…but draws you in nonetheless.
The real work of teaching is taking as un-clickbait-y a headline as possible: “Algebra” or “Social Studies” or “Chorus” and, over the course of painstaking months of connection, encouragement, and growth, helping students to see the world better-truer-wider-deeper.
Teachers can be tempted to pursue a clickbait model: creating buzz about their classes, developing flashy social media posts or just making bulletin boards that highlight the coolest projects students experience during the year. And drawing the interest of students is a worthwhile pursuit! But converse to clickbait, what you do in the classroom always surpasses what you claim in the headline.
Clickbait is a compelling headline with little to follow. Teaching is compelling knowledge, delivered so powerfully that no headline is required.