Three Things DM's can Learn from Teachers, Episode 2
Devora could only marvel at the activity of humans. This town was just a village when she visited what must have been ten years ago. She had left her carriage outside the town so that she could walk amongst the people.
Had it really been ten years?
She knew that sometimes she could lock herself in her study for months at a time. She also knew that if she visited her homeland, the great elven cities in the forest, those glittering spires amongst the great trees would be relatively unchanged from the almost hundred years since she last visited.
A wave from a half-familiar face broke her reverie; she waved back, not remembering a name. Towards the edge of the town, she saw the white schoolhouse sitting in the fields by the forest. Quietly she slipped in and stood by the door watching the children at play. She was amazed at the frenetic activity: different groups working on various projects, and she could see that some children had been assigned to lead the other groups. Occasionally, individual children would break off from their projects, and Devora’s eyes were drawn to the gray-haired smiling lady that the children would delightedly run to. They would line up obediently but then excitedly spill their questions or findings when it came to their turn. Copious praise was lavished in a motherly way, and the beaming faces lapped it up before dashing off to their groups again.
Devora remembered how much she had learned about teaching from a younger Marta and looking at the abundant energy going on in the class. She wished that she could stay and watch and learn more. She had not found teaching the students in the library easy, even though they were fully grown, relatively respectful,, and eager for knowledge, if not always wisdom.
The clattering of hooves and a beautiful white carriage pulling up outside the window suddenly disrupted the class, and all discipline seemed to leave the organized chaos as the children ran to see who the carriage had brought. It was only then that the class teacher noticed the bookish elf, dressed in a simple white robe, standing in the corner, only a pendant with a holy symbol revealing who she was.
“Children.”; the voice was aged but still firm and crystal clear, projected to the entire room. Devore still couldn’t master that and had to employ a cantrip to make her voice heard.
“Please stand behind your desks and greet Mistress Devora, Priestess, and High Song of Oghma.”
Squeaks of excitement and hurried whispers that could not be contained accompanied the orderly movement. There was no pushing and shoving here, making their way to their appropriate places. Upon their teacher’s signal, they performed a well-practiced bow. “Light and praise to Oghma,” they chimed as one.
Start Simple, Gain their Trust
I previously mentioned that I had two students from the same class, in turn, claim that I was the best and worst teacher they had ever had. The latter joined at the start of my second year of teaching that class. The first topic that year was a tricky one, and with the constraints of the syllabus, I had to rush through it. Despite warning the class that it was tough and that I had to push them through it quickly, the student who had just been promoted to my class was lost and confused and fell behind, and obviously, blamed me. You see, with the rest of the class, I had an established rapport. They were used to my teaching style, my explanations, and the expectations of the amount of work they would have to do and that they needed to come and ask for help if they were struggling. In effect, they trusted me. This new student was thrown in at the deep end, and when the trust was lost, it was really hard to regain.
We have all had that teacher who we thought was incompetent, or we just felt we didn’t know what they were talking about. The same goes for Dungeon Masters. If they are nervous, don’t look as if they know the rules, or look as if they haven’t prepared for the adventure, trust is lost, and players can be quick to judge and sometimes slow to change their minds. A group that has already played with a Dungeon Master, one they like and trust, will be much more forgiving of a bad session, a rules mistake, or even a retcon. They know and trust that this Dungeon Master is having a bad day, was particularly busy this week, or has just made a mistake.
So, my advice is this:
Start new groups (new to you, the DM, not necessarily inexperienced) with an adventure you are familiar with, if possible.
Don’t try and pull off anything too daring or complicated. If it’s a very linear adventure, tell the players that and ask for their understanding.
Concentrate on the roleplaying components: descriptives of the places, the interesting NPCs, making the combats and game mechanics and workings of how you run your sessions smooth.
Be clear in your expectations.
You are working to gain their trust: trust that you know what you’re doing, that you can tell a good story, that you are fair, and that the sessions are worth investing their time in.
It’s something I don’t think I will stop working on, and it’s new for each group. I recently had someone leave my group because they thought I was favoring one person over the other. I’m sad because I would have thought that they would have played with me long enough to know better. They did not trust that I was fair.
Players, try to be forgiving of your Dungeon Master’s mistakes and, if possible, encouraging. Try not to be too cynical or judgemental. Give them a chance.
Be Positive and Be Gentle
When I started teaching, I suddenly realized how incredibly critical and a negative person I was. I think part of it was just because British culture is a surprisingly negative one. Just take a look at the British press. Having come to work abroad, while I am glad at how grounded and neutral they try and remain, I am shocked looking at how quick the British press is to criticize everyone and anyone.
A second factor was this: to be good at your subject (and I was very good at maths at the time), you have to be very self-critical. It’s that perfectionist quality that makes you excel at your subject, and quite often in a competitive environment.
I quickly realized that the positive or negative energy put into your teaching is very promptly reflected back at you. Students react to both. I could tell you a few stories of students, especially in a boarding environment. Who had changed dramatically when they received praise and encouragement, but also some negative experiences where I developed some quite antagonistic relationships with classes and others who became too cynical, too soon. Some do often need a firm hand (not literally) and the occasional stern word. I would consider myself a reasonably firm disciplinarian. Still, a quiet, gentle word of encouragement or a “pep talk” can also have a significant effect, and I have come to realize the life-changing effects that frequent positive praise can have on children. Positive praise is quite hard work to make sure that I am feeding my students regular, sincere (because they are quick to see through anything false).
Even if they are adults, your group will react well to genuine praise, positivity, and sometimes a gentle word of encouragement. This doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on being strict about the way you want things. Some of my favorite teachers were very strict, but they were positive, enthusiastic, and fun when they didn’t have to worry about classroom discipline.
This is another topic that I could spend more time on. Behavioural/ classroom management techniques are something I plan to write about in an article about playing with children. Keep an eye out for that one.
What you enjoy, your players may not enjoy, and vice versa. Listen to feedback.
In my first year as a teacher, I had probably one of the mathematically weakest classes I have ever taught. They were also behaviourally challenged as well. I know this because I read the reports from both the school psychologist and many of their other teachers. In the first term, I think it was a rare moment that one of them wasn’t out of their seat: maybe going to chat to their friend, maybe going to look at the wall display, maybe going to argue or even hit another student, wandering around the classroom, staring at whatever was happening out the window, sharpening their pencil (even when they didn’t need their pencil), rearranging my books, etc. These were 14 and 15-year-olds, and there were only twelve of them!
At the start of the second term, I decided to set them a page full of really dull addition problems, adding two three-digit numbers. To my amazement, they were silent and got on with the work without a single complaint or asking for help. At the end of the lesson, I was shocked when a couple of them even thanked me for a good lesson - these were not students you would typically get a “thank you” from. I learned from this and reinforced by subsequent years of teaching that most students want to feel that they have achieved something. While I am often bored just watching them work through exercises, the students actually enjoy doing work and getting something right for a change. Since then, I have learned that there are some things that I might find trivial or dull, but sometimes my students might enjoy. And I have learned to try to ask and listen to them. This is a lesson I need to keep coming back to, both as a teacher and a Dungeon Master. Experienced in both, I feel I have a pretty good bead on what I think my students and my players will enjoy, just by gauging their reactions, but I also need to keep reminding myself to stop, listen and ask. Show enthusiasm for your subject, adventure, lore, strategy, roleplaying, the fabulous monsters that you’re throwing at them, the funny NPCs, and so on. I’ll write more about this at some other point - but you need to realize that what you enjoy as a Dungeon Master may be very different from what they want. This is where talking to your players and getting good feedback is essential.
In turn, please thank your Dungeon Masters and let them know what you are enjoying. It can feel like a thankless task at times, especially when players complain. It’s good to know that you are enjoying our work and what parts you particularly enjoy.
To summarise:
With new groups, work hard to gain their trust in you as a Dungeon Master.
At first, keep things simple so that you can concentrate on the smooth running of your sessions and everyone knows what’s expected of them.
Be conscious in your praise. Work hard at it. Be genuine. Be gentle in any criticism.
Talk to your players and find out what they are enjoying in your games.
Do think back to the mistakes your worst teachers made and avoid them. Think also of your best teachers and why you enjoyed those lessons so much. If you get an opportunity to observe educators in action, do take a moment to evaluate how they are gaining their students’ trust, interacting with their students, and gauging their reactions. Think about how you can incorporate some of those techniques into your Dungeon Mastering style.
Devora spent the next hour answering the hundred-and-one questions from the children. Most wanted to hear about the wars and battles she had worked to advise for, but she was surprised and pleased that many were interested in her everyday life in the library. The floodgates broke loose when she accidentally revealed she had adventured alongside Ellowyn, the retired bard that told tales in the local tavern. She even exchanged a sly glance with Marta when she had to deflect a cheeky question about Ellowyn and their teacher. However, the school bell rang pretty soon, and the children groaned as they had to leave, waving cheerful goodbyes.
As soon as the children were dismissed, her professional demeanor vanished, and Marta embraced Devora, ignoring the latter’s high standing and position. She looked at this young elven lady, so finely dressed and not looking a day older than when they had first met over thirty years before. Only looking at her eyes did Marta see the change in maturity and a little weariness.
She rolled her eyes when, with a wry smile, Devora’s first words were, “Ellowyn, eh?”.
