Reflect back on your own journey as a student. Think of 2-3 teachers who still stand out as people with whom you had a great relationship. Conversely, think of 2-3 teachers with whom you had very little in the way of a personal relationship and perhaps even a negative relationship with? What stands out as characteristics of both groups? How were your very best teachers able to create a positive relationship with you? What was lacking with teachers in the second group?
Positive teachers stand out such as my German teacher, and my History teacher. They both made class fun and interesting. Likewise, they took personal ownership of each member of the class and took time to know us and chat with us each day. The other end of the spectrum were my math teachers. They were very dry, boring, and only cared about presenting their material. There were no relationships made to the point I don't even remember their names nor faces. It always makes me remember to take time out of my day to engage with scholars. No matter the kind of day I'm having, a simple smile and hello goes a long way, and being able to add small talk makes them understand that they are important and that they matter. It's not just about presenting material for them to do and for me to grade.
ReplyDeleteI agree with doing some type of small talk. The easiest way is during independent work or small group work (walk up and join in on their conversation).
DeleteExactly; as teachers we are much more than simply conveyors of knowledge in our content - we take on a mentoring role and speaking with the students is an important by rarely mentioned part of teaching.
DeleteIt's so obvious when teachers only care about presenting material and not about their students... I loved teachers that could understand that their favorite subject might not interest me but I could tell they cared about me and wanted to help me learn.
DeleteMs. Adams, Mrs Polymer, and Mr. Keiner. These three were my best teachers with whom I had a great relationship with. I can really only think of one teacher that I do not recall; that was my third grade teacher. What stands out between the two groups is rapport; these teachers made sure I understand material taught and talked with me a little bit about life in general. I honestly cannot recall anything from the one teacher that was lacking. So maybe nothing was memorable or long lasting. It's possible that there was no relationship except for tolerance.
ReplyDeleteAs a student, I particularly remember several teachers: my French, Math, and Latin teachers. These teachers were all very calm, patient individuals who were genuinely happy to see us and answer questions, while still pushing us to understand and complete work at increasingly challenging levels. Because they were always there to support me, and worked to get to know me beyond the class subject, they helped me develop as more than just a student but as an individual as well.
ReplyDeleteConversely, I had one teacher that I lost my fondness for after I stated that I thought it would have been beneficial to review or go slower (I don't remember what exactly it was but something along those lines) and she became extremely angry and reprimanded me for "telling her how to teach." So I think that the thing that enables teachers to form the most beneficial bonds with students is patience. No matter the situation in the classroom patience is always useful, as is the ability to determine the intention of the students. As long as the students don't have bad intentions their classroom situations can be dealt with with patience.
That is why a growth mindset is so important! If we are constantly looking for opportunities to grow then we will welcome feedback; even from students.
DeleteOne teacher who really meant a lot to me was my high school psych teacher. It was very apparent that she really respected us as individuals. She cared what we thought and saw the potential in us. There were no "bad kids" or "lazy students" in her eyes.
ReplyDeleteConversely, one of my college education professors was the opposite. He treated us like he was smarter and more important than us. I once made an attempt to bring a different perspectives to one of his teaching "rules" and he shut me down saying it would never work. Everything was his way or the highway. There was no room to respect him because I never felt valued or respected by him in return.
It is very important to establish a respectful relationship between student-teachers. This is a key to work with and It is the most important factor to establish a relationship to engage students during the class, and to be able to teach the lectures as well as to be able to have the attention of the students.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is very true there is no magic formula so that all students follow all the expectations of the teachers, but if teachers are consistent and firm Student eventually change their negative behavior
and be consistent in the treatment of students throughout the year.