Would You Survive Your Own Subject as a Student?

Would you survive your own subject if you were a student?

You’ve spent years teaching it, explaining it, setting questions on it, and telling students, “This one is easy!” But what if you had to sit on the other side of the classroom?

Take this quiz and find out how you’d actually fare as a student in your own subject. No peeking at the answers!

1. You haven’t revised for a week, and there’s a test on your subject tomorrow. What happens?

No problem. I’ve got this

A little revision and I’ll be fine

This is about to be stressful

I fear I might not do well

2. Your teacher gives you a difficult question from a topic you taught three months ago.

Easy. I still remember it

Give me a minute; it’s coming back

Can I check my notes first?

Three months ago? We have to move on

3. It’s exam week, and your subject has the first paper. How are you feeling?

Calm. This is my strongest subject

Slightly nervous, but prepared

Asking myself why the syllabus is so long

Already negotiating with my ancestors

4. Be honest: if your teacher taught your subject exactly the way you teach it, how would you perform?

I’d be their star student

I’d do pretty well

I’d survive, but with complaints

Now I understand why my students struggle

5. Your teacher calls on you unexpectedly to explain a concept from your subject.

I’m ready before they finish calling my name

I can explain most of it

I know it, but explaining it is another issue

Suddenly, I have forgotten everything

6. Your subject’s first lesson starts at 8 a.m. How confident are you that you’d understand what’s going on?

I’d probably be correcting the teacher

I’d understand, eventually

I’d need the lesson repeated once or twice

What subject are we talking about again?

7. You have to complete your own subject’s homework without using Google or asking anyone for help.

Light work

Difficult, but possible

Why are we suddenly banning resources?

I’ll probably submit nothing

8. You walk into the exam and realise the questions are harder than the examples you usually give your students. What’s your move?