What you can learn from weird teachers

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From today’s point of view, the teacher of my school days who taught me a lot was a pretty weird guy. He was the only male teacher in a boarding school in Bavaria, a school run by Catholic nuns.

The rest of the academy were female teachers and professors from first to thirteenth grade in the gymnasium, a mix of religious and secular teachers.

Peter was pretty much the absolute anti-type of the well-behaved German/Austrian teacher. Besides the nuns who were teachers, we had “normal” teachers who also had their quirks but hid them under a coat of authority, which -in our eyes- made them untrustworthy at its core.

Peter, on the other hand, openly showed off his quirks. He moaned, scolded, cursed. He was often rude, overbearing, and impatient but he was never malicious, calculating, or even resentful. He was unpredictable in a very pleasant way, never boring, but always extremely entertaining – and damn close to life. He was a one-of-a-kind who often and regularly quarreled with his colleagues and the rectorate, stretched every rule to the maximum, and constantly demonstrated that he didn’t really take anything or anyone seriously (including himself). There was nothing sacred for him. He was a scrappy, lovable anarcho-type with a mischievous streak. Often laughing loudly, or grinning while commenting. He taught chemistry and physics – and surprisingly enough he also ran our theatre club. The nuns adored him, something we could never understand but we were grateful. Peter was a wind of fresh air in a very conservative boarding school.

We were teenagers, young women to be, in school uniform. We had a good education and knew how to behave. We had been drilled to be perfect little wives and mothers, or very well-educated career women in a man’s world.

So one could be wondering about us in a Catholic boarding school. What could you possibly expect from a crazy teacher like Peter? The truth! Peter was by far the best pedagogue I could have wished for. He taught me three (for me sacred) principles that have had a profound impact on me since my school days and have helped me by far more than anything else I have ever learned in school.

The three most valuable principles of my school days

I had the most contact with Peter at the theatre club. Although I had already got to know Peter in class as a regular teacher, he impressed me most in the theatre club with his commitment, his fun – and his quirkiness. For example, when we were rehearsing a classic play, we learned that our lead, played by an older boy from the village, could not participate anymore. His father had fallen ill and he was needed at home.

Peter’s reaction? First loud ranting, then creative problem-solving. Which of us girls could possibly play the role of a MALE in a short time? Finally, smiling with optimism: “We’ll get it done, girls no worries! And if you, Bridget would please read the boy’s lines. It would be great if you play the part now!” (WTH, was that my punishment for being the youngest and my promotion for being a bit behind in the female development department?)

Surely every girl dreams of playing a young man in a school theater play that would be performed not just for parents and the villagers, but numerous times on other school stages. Why me? What had I done wrong?

Well, what can I say? I had my first leading role as a crazy, hunchbacked madman. It was the purest awakening experience for me! And during a monologue – lasting several minutes – at our premiere, I had my very first out-of-body experience on stage. I was there, but kinda wasn’t. I watched myself in disbelief from above. Look, Grandma, I am a boy! Several hundred spectators had just as much fun as we did in the theatre troupe – and the applause afterward was wonderful.

When I took my wig off, a vintage female wig we had altered (butchered) into a man’s cut, I even got a few extra cheers.

Do you notice how many relevant experiences, insights, and experiences are in this little story? Especially for a teenager (I was 17 at the time) invaluable. Solving problems creatively, improvising confidently, leaving the comfort zone, getting fully involved, finding “one’s thing”, enjoying the performance, and working for success.

But the most important principle to me seems to be

Question rules, interpret them in your favor, break them if necessary!

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Our main actor was no longer available and Peter simply gave a very special male role to a girl from the team who he thought could do it! Hey, that’s really weird! (By the way, I find it even weirder that I later often worked as the only woman in a group of male colleagues and I wonder if that was because of Peter?)

Peter never cared if something was weird. He always interpreted rules in his own way and broke them with passion when they didn’t suit him. We were on a first-name basis with Peter because he trusted us. We didn’t have to call him by his last name. We walked with him outside the schoolhouse smoking cigarettes when we had rehearsals in the evening. (We were all over 16 and in Europe, smoking was not a big deal in the 70s and 80s). During rehearsals and in class, we opened up, confided in each other’s private lives, sought advice, and exchanged ideas about life – far beyond the usual student-teacher relationship. Peter was not interested in the usual rules of the teacher’s role. He was more. He was a very special adult friend and as such one of the best teachers I could have wished for at the time.

Stop! Before you think “Well, then they just did what they wanted back then!”, I have to veto it vehemently. Although we had what felt like infinite freedom within our joint theatre group world, one limit remained irrevocable: Everyone had to perform on stage! 

After all, a theatre group only works as an ensemble in which everyone can and must rely on each other. If you don’t know your text and forget keywords, you not only harm yourself, but also your role partner, who is left alone in the air, and of course, the audience gets to see a bad performance. An absolute no-go!

Do you notice how many valuable lessons there are in this as well? Targeted learning. Thinking as a team. To take oneself extremely seriously, but also to take a back seat in favor of the entire piece. Be there when it counts. In other words, take full responsibility.

And that brings me to the second sacred super-principle that I learned from Peter: 

Take responsibility for yourself!

As soon as you enter the stage (of life?) you have to give the best you can. Whining? Doesn’t apply! And you have to be prepared, otherwise you risk a big breakdown. (Do you know how stupid it feels to forget the lyrics in a performance?) You have to get yourself in the mood and keep your spirits. You need to manage your excitement and turn it into positive energy. You have to magnify the perceptions and emotions that help you do this and minimize those that interfere with you. And that’s your own responsibility. Only you can push your buttons inside you – no one can do it for you.

Fascinating, isn’t it? Do I need to mention how helpful this “school” was for me later in “real life”? Precise learning for exams and exams. Later on calls and meetings with customers, authors, celebrities, politicians and so many other people we call ‘normal’.

Thank you, Peter! Thank you, Theater Group! Just as I still break rules today thanks to you, I know when I would do well to follow them to the letter.

Now to the third principle. I’ve already hinted at it, ‘If you’re on stage, you can’t just do it somehow, but you have to keep an eye on your effect.

Am I speaking loud enough? Do I have enough presence? How does the audience see me? Is what I want to say come across? How do I appear to others? Anyone who stands on a stage has all kinds of factors at work in a complex interplay – and must keep an eye on all of them and actively control their performance in order to be successful. Yes, again just like in our roles in “real life”. In family, circle of friends, and with customers and co-workers. We always have to ask ourselves, are we really doing what we want to do? And then we should be willing and able to control our performance.

Here, too, I find it fascinating how much a 17-year-old can learn. Self-confident, appearance. Actively pay attention to others. Constantly changing perspectives. React and improvise. Think from the recipient’s point of view. Nevertheless, stay emotionally with yourself. Constantly check interim results. Develop your own rhetoric. And, and, and. All incredibly valuable principles for our “real life”!

So this third “Peter principle” for me is: 

It is not important what you aim for, but only what you achieve!

Only the result shows whether you have achieved what you wanted to achieve. And if not, be aware of it and correct your behavior until you get what you want.

What you can learn from weird teachers …

Peter, the weird teacher of my school days

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