2008 Woodie Awards
Establishing Authentic Relationships in the Classroom
Philip Seyfried
Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: Op-Eds
After working in a public school as a student teacher for 12 weeks, I have learned that the most essential quality a teacher can have is the ability to forge authentic relationships with students. Unfortunately, some teachers have been exposed in the media for developing negative and damaging relationships, causing embarrassment for the individuals involved and also for the profession of teaching itself. Creating authentic student/teacher relationships that promote learning do not require any more hours than are given during the school's normal operating schedule. Yet, with nearly, and sometimes over, thirty students in a classroom, developing personal relationships with each individual student can seem like a daunting task. However, based upon my observations, creating personal relationships with the students improves classroom morale and significantly improves classroom behavior, despite the challenge.
There are many possibilities of why classroom management significantly improves once a personal connection between teacher and student has been established. Foremost, it stands to reason that when students feel at ease in the classroom with their teacher, the urge to be rebellious fades away and is, in many cases, replaced by a sense of curiosity for the subject matter. When students feel disconnected from their teacher, some begin to mistake constructive criticism as a personal attack rooted in some malicious hatred. They say that their teacher "is out to get me" or "is trying to make me fail." We hope that these comments are never true.
The next reason for change originates from the teacher rather than the student. Teachers, as well as students, need to know their boundaries in the classroom, and learning about each student individually helps a teacher to be mindful of each student's needs - both emotionally and academically. With this insight, the teacher is better prepared to relate the academic content to their lives and interests while being able to read body language and silent cues with greater accuracy. In the classroom, two dialogues are occurring at once; the things spoken and the things unspoken are equally important. A master teacher uses both to assess student learning, while conducting a lesson. The body language of students may tell the teacher, "Hey, this doesn't make sense," and a probing question from the teacher can then work to confirm or refute the supposition.
Building authentic relationships is challenging, but has many benefits. Student teachers need to be mindful of the classroom environment that they are working toward. Students want to trust their teacher and they want to believe that the teacher genuinely cares about them - as should be expected of every teacher! The point is, does that caring come across in our disposition? Teachers do not stop teaching when the ending classroom bell rings; teachers model positive and constructive behavior at all hours of the day. The moments when students and teachers talk before the start of a class, are the most memorable moments in the student's day. Those are the moments when authentic relationships can and should be formed - even if it is just warm smile and a greeting.
There are many possibilities of why classroom management significantly improves once a personal connection between teacher and student has been established. Foremost, it stands to reason that when students feel at ease in the classroom with their teacher, the urge to be rebellious fades away and is, in many cases, replaced by a sense of curiosity for the subject matter. When students feel disconnected from their teacher, some begin to mistake constructive criticism as a personal attack rooted in some malicious hatred. They say that their teacher "is out to get me" or "is trying to make me fail." We hope that these comments are never true.
The next reason for change originates from the teacher rather than the student. Teachers, as well as students, need to know their boundaries in the classroom, and learning about each student individually helps a teacher to be mindful of each student's needs - both emotionally and academically. With this insight, the teacher is better prepared to relate the academic content to their lives and interests while being able to read body language and silent cues with greater accuracy. In the classroom, two dialogues are occurring at once; the things spoken and the things unspoken are equally important. A master teacher uses both to assess student learning, while conducting a lesson. The body language of students may tell the teacher, "Hey, this doesn't make sense," and a probing question from the teacher can then work to confirm or refute the supposition.
Building authentic relationships is challenging, but has many benefits. Student teachers need to be mindful of the classroom environment that they are working toward. Students want to trust their teacher and they want to believe that the teacher genuinely cares about them - as should be expected of every teacher! The point is, does that caring come across in our disposition? Teachers do not stop teaching when the ending classroom bell rings; teachers model positive and constructive behavior at all hours of the day. The moments when students and teachers talk before the start of a class, are the most memorable moments in the student's day. Those are the moments when authentic relationships can and should be formed - even if it is just warm smile and a greeting.
Be the first to comment on this story