My sister Linda, a spectacular teacher, learned early in her career about the dangers of spoonerisms. After her first embarrassing reference to the Mark Twain classic, she subsequently always called Huckleberry Finn by his full first name.
I’ve had embarrassing classroom moments of my own, many of them in my career as a corporate trainer. One of my first contracts was with the State of Michigan. Early one fall morning, as I introduced the course objectives and myself to a roomful of state employees, I asked for questions and immediately, a hand went into the air. “Do you know what day this is?” the man asked, excitement very pronounced in his voice.
I admitted I did not and then he announced, “Today is the first day of deer season!” Animal lover that I am, I made the mistake of expressing my opinion about those who kill them. “Deer are such beautiful creatures,” I opined. “I don’t know how anyone could shoot them.” Silence descended upon the classroom. Heavy silence. Silence that lasted for a long time.
I had not realized the extent in which people in Michigan loved their hunting season. I almost learned my lesson then, about keeping certain views to myself.
As an instructor, I have always been concerned with presenting knowledge in ways that enable students to acquire it and to retain it. I have spent most of my adult life fashioning curricula that will grab imaginations. But I haven’t always attended to ways that my views might affect the level of receptivity among audience members.
The second time I made this mistake was when I taught for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Being Italian, I am used to participating in events celebrating Christopher Columbus. On this particular bright October morning, the students filed in and I greeted them with a hearty “Happy Columbus Day!” Again, the frozen silence descended. It was not until break time that some kind soul explained the bitterness Native Americans feel about this holiday. (In fact, many places do not mention Columbus’ name in respect to the “discovery” of the New World; for example, Discovery Day in the Bahamas and the Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity in Argentina.)
These two experiences made me highly aware of my audience and the issues that might prevent them from accepting the material I presented, unless I dealt with the issues thoughtfully and respectfully.
How about you? Have you ever intentionally or unintentionally caused offense when or where none was intended? If so, please share your experiences by commenting.