How to Earn the Respect of Your High School Students

Nicolo Machiavelli said that if given a choice, it is safer to be feared than to be loved. Many high school teachers have taken this advice to heart and rule with an iron fist in their classroom. However, what is actually better than to be feared or loved is to be respected. When your students respect you, they work harder to gain your respect in return and they learn more in your class. Here are some steps to earning the respect of your students.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Shake their hands. Starting on the first day of school, stand outside your classroom door and shake the hand of every student who enters your room. While you are at it, look them in the eye and say, "Good Morning" as well. Treat them like the professionals that you expect them to be in your classroom. Some students will be shocked at this, will offer you a limp hand and will not return your eye contact. If you keep this up however, their handshakes will tighten and they will look you in the eyes and say "good morning," in return. Starting off like this starts each class with an aura of mutual respect.

2. Lay out the ground rules. How can students respect you if you are constantly changing your expectations of them? Let them know what you will and will not tolerate in your classroom. You don't need to have a million rules. Three or four clear rules about respect, coming prepared to class and basic class procedures should be plenty.

3. Smile and be nice. When I started teaching I was told to not to let the kids see me smile before Christmas. In truth, there is no reason not to smile and be friendly to your students. Note: There is a difference between being friendly and being their friend. For example, when a student asks to use the bathroom at an inappropriate time, a friend would say "sure, whatever you want." A friendly teacher would say, "I'm sorry, but you know that you aren't allowed to go to the bathroom in the middle of a lecture." It is just as easy to discipline students in a pleasant voice and demeanor as to say a sarcastic or caustic remark. It may not be as satisfying, but it is definitely more effective. If you have ever had a boss who was constantly demeaning you, you know that it is hard to respect someone who is always yelling.

4. Enforce your rules consistently. The easiest way to lose the respect of your students is to enforce rules irregularly or in a capricious manner

5. Be prepared and know your subject. Students can sense when you come to class unprepared and try to "wing it." When you are prepared for each class and clearly know and love your subject, they respect you as the teacher, even if they don't share your love of the subject.

6. Speak in an adult voice and not a parent voice to the students. To get the difference, imagine your boss asking you to vacuum the floor. Now imagine your mom asking you when you were twelve. An adult voice is an authoritative voice, a parent voice is one that lectures or nags. Students respect the adult voice, they rebel against the parent voice.

7. Respect the dignity of your students. Never, and I mean never, demean, belittle or disrespect a student in front of his or her peers. This may mean laying off the sarcasm or ignoring the easy joke. When you disrespect a student, you can be guaranteed that he or she will not only disrespect you but also find a way to escalate the situation in order to save face in front of his or her friends.