survey

[percival]

gacked from awelkin

I want to improve as a teacher; so I'd like some feedback about the following questions:

1. Do you find me accessible? Why?

2. Do you find me intimidating? Why?

3. Would you feel comfortable joking around with me? Why or why not?

4. What do I do that makes you feel comfortable when talking to you?

5. What do I do that makes you uncomfortable when talking to you?

This is not an exercise I'm doing to boost my self-esteem; feel free to be honest!

Comments

[voxmaille.livejournal.com]

1. Very accessible and warm. You seem very concerned with others and their well-being, and you remember specific small details of conversations past, which I've found to be a trait that makes people seem more accessible. After all, it's a way of *noticing* someone else and we all want to be noticed. The smaller the detail, the more we are likely to think--whether or not this is a well-founded conclusion--that the other person remembers the rest of the conversation, and considered it important enough to remember. You also offer advice in such a way that encourages people to ask you for advice in the future. Others may offer the same advice, but your way of delivering it is empathetic and helpful. I suppose as a linguist you already know that quite a bit of our communication comes from *how* we say something and not in the actual statements themselves.

2. A little--but not in an awful way. One of those "I look up to you and respect you very much, so I value your good opinion" things.

3. Usually, but it depends on the jokes. I would hesitate to make some of my snarkier and less tolerant (not in a social bias sense, but rather comments about frustrating people in general) jokes.

4. You always sound interested in what I have to say and respectful of others' opinions and thoughts. You also are very adaptable when it comes to subject matter--the diversity of your interests make you more accessible than someone whose interests had a more limited scope.

5. Hmm. Not anything that I can think of off-hand. Sometimes I worry about you, but that's on a personal level and not generally something related to teaching. Nor is it really anything to do with the comfort level of conversation--rather, by definition it's uncomfortable to have empathy for someone when he or she is having a rough go of it.