Yoda or Palpatine: The ideal teacher

Star Wars the Last Jedi was a blast! It would be really difficult to write without spoiling some part of the movie. As such, let us talk about the difference two great teachers in the Star Wars universe. Let us talk about who the ideal teacher is. Will it be Master Yoda or Emperor Palpatine

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To be fair, let us not look at who is stronger or who was the good guy. Both of these Force wielders were teachers that trained really powerful Force wielders. Their students went on to be legends in their own right. Master Yoda trained many Jedi masters including Luke Skywalker. Whereas Emperor Palpatine trained Darth Vader. While both of them produced great students, their teaching methods are very different.

Problem solving

The skill of problem solving is one skill that has become the focus in many education systems. While many governments have their own unique way of creating a curriculum that teaches this skill, the most effective way to do it is debatable. In many ways Master Yoda and Emperor Palpatine both represent how education in the east and west approach problem solving.

Being exposed to a more western style of education, I have come to ses that method is more similar to Master Yoda's style of teaching. Problem solving is generally taught through guidance, in which the solution is never provided but discovered by the student. Master Yoda in this case does the same, imparting words of wisdom to help Luke Skywalker find the problem. However, he never tells Luke Skywalker the solution directly, leading him towards finding the right way to solve an issue.

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Emperor Palpatine on the other hand tells or orders Darth Vader to accomplish a certain problem. Often times, Darth Vader is not allowed much freedom to discover the solution to a problem. As Emperor Palpatine nudges and pushes Darth Vader towards the solution of his choosing, this can leave him rather conflicted, especially at the end where he murdered his very own teacher.

Now, I am not saying which method is best, but one has to admit, Emperor Palpatine's teaching method is less time consuming. Guidance takes time, and if we teach our students like Master Yoda, it may not be feasible as a class may consist of 30 students. Imagine Master Yoda teaching 30 Luke Skywalkers, he probably jump in the swamp to end his misery. That being said, Master Yoda's way of teaching is more sustainable, creating students that are motivated, filled with wisdom and the right principles to solve any problem.

Aside from the manner in which they teach problem solving, one crucial characteristic of a teacher should be taken into account.

Tolerance towards failure

That one characteristic is patience or specifically, the teacher's tolerance towards failure. As seen in the scene where Master Yoda trained Luke Skywalker in the force, he was extremely patient, guiding him towards greatness. This of course is what we as teachers strive to do, slowly guiding our students towards learning certain difficult concepts. However, this is possible if the teacher is not confined by exams, a syllabus that needs completing and parents. As such, perhaps Emperor Palpatine's method is more feasible?

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Emperor Palpatine does not tolerate failure, motivating his underlings towards accomplishing their tasks. This method is effective especially if the teacher's career is at stake, having to train the students to produce results at the end of the semester. In the long run, such a method is not effective, the system being too exam oriented may cause businesses to find ways of training students to pass exams only. Through this, students will seem to be achieving great results in exams. However, the skill of passing exams is not exactly an employable skill. Thus, unless the education system becomes less exam oriented, we should go on to the dark side with Emperor Palpatine's teaching methods.

Conclusion

The ideal teacher is at times dictated by different circumstances. This consist of how exam oriented the education system is, the demands of society and the demands of industry. Hopefully in the future, many of the teachers I know can be a Yoda to many students.

However, as long as culture and the nation places a huge focus on exam results, we can never ever be the Yoda to our students. Until then, we shall all enjoy the dark side.

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