Editorial_6_4_1

We need tough teachers!




                                                                                                                   Editorials
                  Jean-François ROULET
                  DDS, Habil, Prof hc, Dr hc, Professor
                  Editor-in-Chief



Dear Readers,

Following the classical set up of a university according to Humboldt, a University Professor should teach,
perform research and service (in practically oriented professions). Teaching is divided in the undergraduate
level and graduate level. Both are academic categories of education with the inherent objective that an
academic should have the knowledge of his/her profession to be able to participate in the profession’s
development in the future. This is why in many nations, especially for the so called liberal professions
(Physicians, Pharmacists, Lawyers, Architects and Engineers) professional organizations are allowed to
participate or even to create and enforce their own professional laws. At graduate level the objective is to
train future professors. If no one else, then they should be the ones with the deep knowledge to guide the
profession into the future based on the results of their research.
My peers tell me that we are teaching the millennials or the generation X, which are different. They are not
used to being criticized and do not have an attention span longer than 10 minutes. I am told that teachers
must adapt to this, be nice to the students and avoid criticism. The unfortunate result of such an attitude is
that we always tell the students what to do. The worse result is that the students ask us what to do, which
yields to the situation that students are full of knowledge, pass the boards (multiple choice questions) with
flying colours, but are unable to analyze a clinical situation or a research paper by applying their knowledge
and “connecting the dots”, in other words, they do not have the ability of critical thinking. I have experienced
students on the clinical floor that do not know what materials they are using, how they work, which light
curing unit they use, what it's irradiation is and which radiant exposure is needed to cure the composite
they are using. The same when it comes to prevention. In discussions I literally have to beat out of them the
relevant facts they have learned a few years ago and explain the clinical relevance to them. The same in the
class I am teaching about learning from the literature.
So what shall we do in this situation? Let the profession degrade to a profession based on vocational training,
where the dentist maybe knows what to do, but has no clue why? Shall we allow the information source for
the students once they have graduated become the sales representatives, who have only one objective:
sell the product that brings them the highest gain, that is converted into their bonus? Leave the future of
our profession to be determined by politicians, where quite often the major aim is to be reelected? Shall we
close our eyes, when looking at a health care system driven by financial politics and ignore that people die
because they cannot afford health care services?
Of course not! And this is the reason why we need tough teachers. In the past, many years ago, I was
feared because I was demanding to the undergraduate students. I used to teach concepts and their clinical
applications, which is difficult for both the teacher and the student. Therefore the students did not like
me, however it happened on numerous occasions that former students, who had become dentists in
the meantime, approached me and thanked me for the great concepts and knowledge they got in their
“scientific dental package”. I was told that they realized only later how much better they were prepared to
run their office than their peers. Today, I have completely changed my teaching style on the clinical floor.
I do not give instructions any more. If the student asks me what to do, I tell him or her: “I will not tell you!
You tell me what you want to do and then we can discuss it”. This is the way it should go, because once they
have graduated, there is no teacher anymore to tell them (see above). With this, again I am not a much liked
teacher and I get poor evaluations from the students. Well I have to live with this, since I am a University
Professor and not a trade school teacher!

Sincerely yours,

J.-F. Roulet
Editor-in-Chief
                                                  DOI: https://doi.org/10.25241/stomaeduj.2019.6(4).edit.1



Stomatology Edu Journal                                                                                            215