Relating to Students, and Staff
FEBRUARY 27, 2014
I dropped in to the English Companion Ning last night – something I used to do more often and realized I was missing. It’s a thriving online community of English teachers from all over the country, created almost five years ago by über-English-teacher Jim Burke. (I think I was one of the people who signed up in the first couple days of its existence). By random chance I read a post from a pre-service teacher trying to connect with a class of second-semester seniors. I decided to offer a little support, and before I knew it, had composed some thoughts about relating with students that I realized might make a good blog post. I realized I don’t write many blog posts that are strictly about classroom practice – but then I also realized that my advice to this pre-service teacher is similar to advice I’d offer to a school leader trying to work effectively with a teaching staff. Post a comment at the end and let me know if you agree.
Here’s what I wrote on the English Companion (with minor edits).
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Hello! Sounds like a challenging situation! You hit on one key point on your own: it takes time for relationships to develop. You seem to understand where seniors are at in life, and why this teaching placement will be a challenge. I would suggest focusing even more on them, and on the curriculum, and less on the idea of students having an interest in getting to know you. Not to suggest they shouldn’t get to know you, but let it happen on its own rather than as an intended focus.
You didn’t mention what type of class it is, or if you have any input regarding the curriculum. I’