Should You Be Honest With Your Students?

On the very first day of my teaching career, I shared with my students that “it is an honor to be your teacher,” and I revealed that it had been my dream since I was 14 years old to become an educator. This is how I commence every school year. But in my inaugural year, I also admitted to my students, “I’m new, I’m still figuring a lot of things out, I’m most likely going to mess up quite a bit and wish I did things better, and as much as I don’t like this, you are kind of my guinea pigs.”

This is who I am. I am honest, genuine, and I firmly believe that sharing my insecurities and limitations, along with my determination, is a significant strength rather than a weakness. My experience has shown that honesty with students is the right approach 9 times out of 10. Whether it’s about not knowing the answer to a question, not being an expert in physics, or feeling frustrated, being forthright has provided me with a level of understanding and empathy from my students.

It’s essential to note that sharing your shortcomings is not a free pass to be lazy or to avoid improvement. If you keep making the same mistakes, no amount of honesty will make up for it. However, when you genuinely admit that you don’t know something but then work to address it in the next class, it holds immense value for your students.

What do you think? Is honesty truly the best policy?