Interaction With Students

As a soon to be teacher in today's day and age, I believe it is imperative to gain the respect from your students.  One of the main ways of gaining that respect is through how you interact with them on a daily basis.  Working in the school system now, I have made a few observations throughout my short career.  Students want to be treated with a level of respect and I believe they deserve it (to an extent).

Rules and regulations play a major factor in whether or not your class will be cooperative.  From day one, teachers must lay out examples of what is and what is not accepted in the classroom.  Every teacher is different, so each educator may have different rules they demand from their students.  By establishing  and applying these rules on a daily basis, students are more willing to adhere to them.

The way I interact with students now has been a major reason as to why I would continue to do so in the future.  It may be as simple as greeting all my students at the door when they walk in, or asking them how they are doing today.  Students really appreciate when you get to know them and how they are doing on the outside, instead of focusing mainly on what happens in the classroom.  I take these small words of wisdom from my father who always taught me that students want to feel wanted.  By speaking to them in a tone and manner that makes them feel comfortable they will be more willing to learn and participate with you in the class.

Where It All Started...

I can remember my father taking me to the school he worked in and showing me around the building. He brought me to the classroom he once taught in and showed me the desk he sat at.  While walking through the halls with him I would constantly hear students in the hallway screaming out "Hey Mr. Wilbur!" and other children coming up to him just to have a normal quick conversation with him.  I could see how much they looked up to him.

As I got older, I really started to realize what an impact my father made on his students.  When we would go out shopping, once again I would hear those screams "Hey Mr. Wilbur!".  My father not only educated students in the classroom but taught them how to be individuals in the real world as well. He got students jobs when they came to him and stressed to him about how they needed to make money to help out with bills at their home.  It was more than just a job to my father; it was his career, his passion.  He always told me "You never have to work a day in your life if you love what you do."

As I continue my journey to become an educator, I will take my fathers words of wisdom and apply them in the classroom.  Teaching is more than just educating students in a content area.  It is also about helping children to be better, more independent people in their future.  By giving them the tools and confidence to be those types of individuals, I believe students respect that and prosper to be better people.