Teacher Tip Tuesday: Care
Sometimes, when your class gets on your last nerve (sometimes it's even just one student!) you get wrapped up in the frustration of the situation. When you get tangled in that sticky web, you may not realize how your teaching is affected.
Some teachers are very good at departmentalizing. They can let the one student's problem or the class disruption stay out of their thoughts as they teach. They don't take it personally.
Other teachers take almost everything personally. They feel like failures if their students don't achieve A's on every test or sit studiously every time they need to wait or transition to another activity.
Teachers who feel so defensive about their students' achievements and behavior, may turn inward, saying, "What did I do wrong? How do I fix it? I'm a bad teacher."
As you turn inward and focus on yourself, your students no longer become number one. You are number one.
It may be hard to admit, but do you care too much about your self and not enough about your students?
Now, I do work with middle school students, so I realize that the lovey-dovey approach is not always what a child needs. I'm not saying you should throw discipline and rigor out the window. Not at all. Care enough to demand the best. Care enough to have high expectations. You do no child a favor by doing less.
Care enough to listen, too. Instead of simply penalizing the late student, ask why he was tardy (away from other students, if possible.) Keep consistent consequences, but care enough to help students solve their problems.
You can empower a student by showing you care.
Some teachers are very good at departmentalizing. They can let the one student's problem or the class disruption stay out of their thoughts as they teach. They don't take it personally.
Other teachers take almost everything personally. They feel like failures if their students don't achieve A's on every test or sit studiously every time they need to wait or transition to another activity.
Teachers who feel so defensive about their students' achievements and behavior, may turn inward, saying, "What did I do wrong? How do I fix it? I'm a bad teacher."
As you turn inward and focus on yourself, your students no longer become number one. You are number one.
It may be hard to admit, but do you care too much about your self and not enough about your students?
Now, I do work with middle school students, so I realize that the lovey-dovey approach is not always what a child needs. I'm not saying you should throw discipline and rigor out the window. Not at all. Care enough to demand the best. Care enough to have high expectations. You do no child a favor by doing less.
Care enough to listen, too. Instead of simply penalizing the late student, ask why he was tardy (away from other students, if possible.) Keep consistent consequences, but care enough to help students solve their problems.
You can empower a student by showing you care.
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