How are teaching and running a game similar?

[aramis erak]

My teaching experience is more on the high school and college level.

I don't think of it in terms of "games and teaching are similar". I think of it in terms of "skills developed while teaching are applicable in gaming".

For example: pacing. Having a sense of when your audience is drifting into boredom or getting distracted is a teaching skill that applies to the gaming table. But what you do about it is apt to be different.

You're on the wrong level...

My classroom management skills for Elementary are pretty much identical to my skills for managing a group of rambunctious adult players. High School (which I've worked) has a different set of classroom management skills. Less cross-over - as you note, applicable.

 

[BenTheFerg]

Agree with these posts. Been teaching 16-19s for nearly 30 years. Lots of cross over skills.

Problem with teaching, esp in the UK atm, with the 4 years of continual curriculum change followed by the pandemic, on top of cuts, is that we're all at breaking point. Thus, even before the pandemic, I have found it very hard to conjure up the mental energy to run anything that was not 'out of the can ' with only tweaking games..... and now with online gaming, again, much easier to run 5e games which are bought modules on Roll20 (eg Rime of the Frostmaiden), and modify to taste, since the heavy lifting has been done for you. Still plenty of prep to do (the bureaucratic faff of copying and placing pc counters onto maps/ turning off 'whisper to GM' on critter sheets, as well as creative, eg creating new maps for various encounters not mapped, plus extra homebrew locations)

Looking forward to playing again soon so I can rest a little! This term is always a killer.

 

[Lackofname]

Rocks fall, everyone fails.

 

[Lackofname]

Teaching is my second career - I am also an attorney. I think the training for both careers influence how I run games.

I teach high school, coach American football and track & field. My students used to get a big kick out of the fact that the Head Football Coach and the guy who is in the weight room all the time also ran the gaming club and was a D&D DM.

I agree with Umbran that a lot of essential skills for teaching transfer well to running a game. Teachers are usually pretty good about reading a room for engagement and veterans like me are flexible enough to change midstream in a session/lesson.

Off topic, but where the hell do you find all the free time?

 

[pogre]

Off topic, but where the hell do you find all the free time?

LOL - some days I don't....

However -

I watch very little TV. When I do have a program going it is in the background while I do something else. I think most people would be quite amazed with how much time they spend staring at screens. That's not a criticism, I just choose to use my time in other ways.

I find teaching and coaching invigorating and uplifting - I love my job. I think that makes a huge difference in how much energy you bring home every night.

 

[BookTenTiger]

I find teaching and coaching invigorating and uplifting - I love my job. I think that makes a huge difference in how much energy you bring home every night.

YES!

Even during this pandemic when I am having to relearn how to teach, I still feel lucky to be teaching each day.

One more thing I find similar between teaching and running a game is that there is a spectrum of experiences. As both a teacher and a GM, I could just crack open a lesson book / adventure book and read from the text. Or I could choose to make teaching / running a game a creative art. I choose the latter, and because of that I get a lot of energy and fulfillment from both.

 

[Voadam]

I think most people would be quite amazed with how much time they spend staring at screens. That's not a criticism, I just choose to use my time in other ways.

Says the person posting on a website forum.

 

[pogre]

Says the person posting on a website forum.

Fair point! All of my time at work these days is in front of a screen. Sports are completely shut down now. We're not allowed in the weight room either. Gaming is largely in front of a screen too. Although I do have two boys at home still that play games with their old man.