How to Keep a Healthy Student-Teacher Relationship
A healthy student-teacher relationship is important for both student and teacher success. A student should feel his teacher is there to help him succeed and a teacher should feel that the student appreciates her work. Developing healthy student-teacher relationships takes time and hard work, but once those relationships are established, it becomes easier to teach your classes.
Instructions
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Take an interest in your students' lives. Ask students about hobbies, likes and dislikes. Make a point of greeting students by name when you see them. This shows that you care about the student as a person, not just as a student.
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Develop a relationship with parents before problems occur. Parental involvement can help improve student performance. Too often, teachers wait until there is a major problem to contact the parents. Contact all parents at the beginning of the school year and keep open the lines of communication. You don't have to go so far as to give weekly updates, but you can allow parents to contact you for any reason.
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Dislike bad behavior, not individual students. When a student behaves in inappropriate ways, it's easy to label her a "bad" student. Doing so, however, negatively affects the way you see the student and the way she feels in class, making the problem worse. Instead, criticize her behavior, but make it clear that you still like her as a person.
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Include all students in class activities. Make sure everyone has a fair turn. Some students are more demanding of your attention than others, but it's important for you to make sure that everyone gets equal time and attention.
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Respect your students. Respect is a two-way street. When you give your students respect, they'll respect you in return. Understand that each student has his own opinion and style. Teach in ways that allow him to grow and become his own person, not just fit into the typical student mold. For example, instead of spending all of your class time lecturing, do many hands-on activities to encourage learning.
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Tips & Warnings
When teaching teenage students, it's important to not cross any lines. Because of the small age difference between some teenage students and teachers, sexual relationships can occur. Avoid this because it's illegal and you may be fired. You may want to act like a student's best friend, but you still need to be the teacher.
References
- Photo Credit watching his students image by Luisafer from Fotolia.com
