All teachers know that they are much more than just people standing in front of a classroom writing on a whiteboard. Teachers can be friends, mentors, an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on.
It’s all about connections and relationships.
Sometimes, though, making those connections can be difficult. No matter how hard you try, a student or some students just seem to ignore you or your efforts.
If you want to get better at your craft, you have 2 options to make things easier: Go to a reputable place that has a course on professional development for teachers or carry on reading below.
Celebrate Your Students
While it might not seem like it, a positive relationship with your students can help them achieve higher grades in class.
Part of that positive relationship is taking the time to celebrate their achievements.
This means celebrating those achievements in private and in front of the class. Pull them to the side to talk about how proud you are of them and recognize what they do publicly. They will be more likely to pull up their socks, knowing they will be praised for a job well done.
Listen and Follow Up
We all have two ears and a mouth, right?
When a student is acting out in class or being disruptive, more often than not, it’s more about what’s going on outside the classroom than what’s going on inside the classroom. It is worth taking the time to ask them about their life outside of school and see if you can help them.
A simple “Is everything alright?” or “What’s going on?” can go a long way.
One way to connect with them is to simply ask about their outside interests. See what song they’re playing this weekend or how their basketball team is doing. It doesn’t take a lot to follow up and be invested in someone else’s life. Simply asking questions and being there for your students can go a long way in building a solid connection.
Training
When looking at education, it’s impossible to separate it from human development. Not only do you want to be an excellent educator, but you want to be as socially and emotionally intelligent as possible. That means being empathic, emotionally even, and having solid communication skills.
For some people, that comes naturally but for others, it can be a bit of a challenge. That’s why you have to check out courses like professional development for teachers.
Going through such a course is going to help you plug the gap that often exists between simply being with your students and developing something meaningful with them.
Have a Consistent Approach
One of the most confusing things in the world is when someone isn’t consistent at a personal level. One day, they’re even-keeled and focused, but the next day, they’re sporadic and angry about everything.
As an educator, it’s important that your students know what to expect from you. You have to be consistent in the classroom when it comes to things like expectations, punishments, and demeanor. The more consistent you are, the more likely your students know what to expect from you on a day-to-day basis. If you’re struggling to inculcate these tips, you can always go for a course that does professional development for teachers and take inspiration from there.
