What does Higgins mean when he says, “teaching would be impossible unless pupils were sacred”? Affirm, dispute, or qualify the validity of Higgins's statement.
When Higgins said, “Teaching would be impossible unless pupils were sacred,” he meant that teachers must value and care about their students if they want them to be successful. If teachers had no respect for their pupils, students would have no respect for their teachers, and they would not learn. For instance, if a teacher called his students stupid, ignorant fools every day, his students would not desire to learn from him. They would become frustrated, and it would be difficult for them to take instruction from a man who ridiculed them. However, if a teacher greeted his students by chiming, “Good morning,” and encouraged students to do their absolute best every day, the students would look forward to being taught by a man with a positive attitude. Eliza possessed a very strong work ethic by learning how to speak proper English in a matter of a few months. She pushed herself to learn the manners of the upper class. Yet, instead of thanking Eliza for her work, Higgins called her a guttersnipe (a poorly behaved child who lived on the streets), a squashed cabbage leaf, and a slut. Eliza proved to Higgins that she could be passed off as a duchess, but when they returned from the ambassador’s garden party, Higgins thanked God that he no longer had to teach Eliza. He claimed to have gotten bored during the “experiment” and only seemed to care about the location of his slippers. When Eliza retrieved his slippers, Higgins did not even thank her. There was a moment where Eliza called attention to her teacher's lack of compassion for the first time; she hurled Higgins's slippers at him. It represented her frustration at the way Henry was treating her. His derogatory comments and his threatening tone made Eliza feel like she was being dehumanized. However, Higgins actually did cherish Eliza for how independent she became. He felt he taught her how to stand up for herself. His absence of encouragement, though, was what caused Eliza to leave. Henry’s rudeness affected Eliza to the point where she wanted to commit suicide by drowning in the river. When Eliza confronted Pickering and Higgins in Mrs. Higgins’s home, she claimed that Pickering taught her how to be a lady better than Higgins did. Colonel Pickering always acknowledged Eliza as a person and respected her feelings. When Pickering was being respectful, it encouraged Eliza to be respectful. Higgins’s statement is valid because it suggests we must treat people the way we want to be treated. It is also a perfect representation of the Pygmalion Effect – a self-fulfilling prophecy in which our actions impact people’s beliefs about us. Their beliefs cause them to behave a certain way to us, which reinforces our beliefs about ourselves. The cycle is completed when our beliefs influence our actions towards others. The Pygmalion Effect relates to teaching because teachers must treasure their students if they want them to become involved in the classroom. In order to receive participation, teachers must be encouraging and voice appreciation for their students’ hard work.
When Higgins said, “Teaching would be impossible unless pupils were sacred,” he meant that teachers must value and care about their students if they want them to be successful. If teachers had no respect for their pupils, students would have no respect for their teachers, and they would not learn. For instance, if a teacher called his students stupid, ignorant fools every day, his students would not desire to learn from him. They would become frustrated, and it would be difficult for them to take instruction from a man who ridiculed them. However, if a teacher greeted his students by chiming, “Good morning,” and encouraged students to do their absolute best every day, the students would look forward to being taught by a man with a positive attitude. Eliza possessed a very strong work ethic by learning how to speak proper English in a matter of a few months. She pushed herself to learn the manners of the upper class. Yet, instead of thanking Eliza for her work, Higgins called her a guttersnipe (a poorly behaved child who lived on the streets), a squashed cabbage leaf, and a slut. Eliza proved to Higgins that she could be passed off as a duchess, but when they returned from the ambassador’s garden party, Higgins thanked God that he no longer had to teach Eliza. He claimed to have gotten bored during the “experiment” and only seemed to care about the location of his slippers. When Eliza retrieved his slippers, Higgins did not even thank her. There was a moment where Eliza called attention to her teacher's lack of compassion for the first time; she hurled Higgins's slippers at him. It represented her frustration at the way Henry was treating her. His derogatory comments and his threatening tone made Eliza feel like she was being dehumanized. However, Higgins actually did cherish Eliza for how independent she became. He felt he taught her how to stand up for herself. His absence of encouragement, though, was what caused Eliza to leave. Henry’s rudeness affected Eliza to the point where she wanted to commit suicide by drowning in the river. When Eliza confronted Pickering and Higgins in Mrs. Higgins’s home, she claimed that Pickering taught her how to be a lady better than Higgins did. Colonel Pickering always acknowledged Eliza as a person and respected her feelings. When Pickering was being respectful, it encouraged Eliza to be respectful. Higgins’s statement is valid because it suggests we must treat people the way we want to be treated. It is also a perfect representation of the Pygmalion Effect – a self-fulfilling prophecy in which our actions impact people’s beliefs about us. Their beliefs cause them to behave a certain way to us, which reinforces our beliefs about ourselves. The cycle is completed when our beliefs influence our actions towards others. The Pygmalion Effect relates to teaching because teachers must treasure their students if they want them to become involved in the classroom. In order to receive participation, teachers must be encouraging and voice appreciation for their students’ hard work.