I grew up with a great love of learning. My father was a teacher. When he died in 1999, at his bedside, along with my family, was his favorite student from 30 years ago. The teacher/student relationship was as strong then as it was in 1969. My father had made a difference in his student’s life that outlasted the classroom; a difference that had spanned more than 30 years!
As a little girl, I thought my father knew everything. My brothers and I had a game: we would always try to stump my father by asking him hard questions, things we had learned about at school or projects we were working on. My father was pretty smart but there were some things even he didn’t know. These sessions were always fun, either with my father teaching us something we didn’t know or all of us looking up new information and learning together. I don’t remember any of the subject matter per sec, but I remember the feeling, the connection, how excited I was learning something new, and how much I was enjoying the relationship with my father.
How we learn is always in the context of a relationship; so you are responsible for creating a relationship that inspires learning. We so often go right to the subject matter, the reading, the writing, the math, and it goes without saying you have a responsibility to teach these things, but unless you are able to deliver your subject matter in a way that is accessible and exciting, AND unless you are able to connect to each and every one of your students, you will never really feel satisfied.
One thing for sure that I’ve figured out, and because I’m a Life Coach I consider myself a teacher as well: Students learn because they want to learn. And when they want to learn it is because you have inspired them in some way; and they want to learn from you.
Ultimately, regardless of what you do, if at some point you do not connect with your students and succeed in passing on a love of learning, you will always be frustrated in the classroom. When you are able to develop a real relationship with your students, they want to learn and they pay attention; they want to hear what you have to say.
You’ve heard it said: people do business with people they like. Well, children learn from people they like and respect. It’s that simple.
I see children as “minnie-me’s”. They’re us, only smaller. I don’t know about you but when I go to hear someone speak, I’m like a kid. I am waiting for someone to grab my attention. The last thing I want to do is sit there and be bored, but there is nothing I can do unless the person talking is interesting and in some way inspires me. I’m not saying you have to entertain your students, but I am saying you need to be authentic and connect.
When I talk about feeling safe what I mean is that students can make mistakes without feeling foolish.
To learn something new implies that we enter unknown territory and unknown territory always produces a sense of anxiety. If children do not feel the classroom is a safe and loving place, they will never get excited about learning, never be willing to participate in the discovery process. To be creative, to use your imagination, to problem-solve outside the box, children must be willing to share things that, up until this point have just existed in their heads.
As educators, you need to ask yourself: Do you create a non-judgmental classroom that actually celebrates individuality and diversity?
Do you set ground rules to make sure students treat one another with dignity and respect and step in when you see one child diminishing or hurting another?
Kindness goes a long way and the way you treat your students is the way they will treat you and one another. Remember: What they are going to get in your classroom has the potential to set their course for the rest of their lives. (To be continued)
Comments