When I become a teacher, my prime goal will be to mold my students into confident, independent, creative, and driven individuals. I plan to achieve this goal by stressing three very important characteristics that a teacher should possess: being a good role model, patience, and creativity. In regards to striving to be a good role model toward their students, one must be a significant presence in the students’ eyes and thus, must have a certain demeanor that is warm and welcoming, receptive, and open-minded. Additionally, all teachers must be approachable—there is nothing worse than an unapproachable, aloof teacher whose directions are unclear yet when a student approaches them for help, they only walk away more befuddled than before.
Moreover, it is crucial that teachers be creative in the classroom. Originality is key in the classroom—it is vital to make the learning environment enjoyable for students; otherwise it becomes quite difficult for students to soak up any knowledge. Teachers who peak their students’ interests truly and effortlessly succeed in relaying information in the classroom.
Lastly, patience truly proves to be a virtue, especially in the classroom. Impatient and temperamental teachers are notoriously feared in schools. If one gets fed up easily, or is prone to losing his or her temper, then teaching should not be something considered by them. On a different note, students’ stress levels are already high enough—teachers must alleviate their pain by giving them a sufficient amount of time to complete assignments or tests, otherwise the end results will not be ideal in the least. By the same token, all students should feel as if they are welcome in their teachers’ classroom whenever they feel the need to come in for some extra help. Teachers should let their students know that they do indeed want them to succeed and will do whatever it takes to lend them a hand along the way in their class.
In the classroom I believe a teacher must take on a role as a sailor. They must navigate their way through the sea, waves tall, wide, and short, as well as the fluctuating tides (who are in this case, the students) in order to get the hang of things and fall into a certain groove that is appropriate for both the teachers and the students. Whatever the teacher demonstrates will be mirrored by the attitudes of his or her students and thus, whatever strategies the teacher chooses to execute must resonate with the students, otherwise pandemonium will ensue and the teacher’s notions will prove to be rather ineffectual. Therefore, teacher effectiveness will always go hand and hand with successful classroom management and this is something I will undeniably always keep in mind in my middle or high school English classroom.
As recognized in The First Days of School, “In the first few days of school, teach only procedures necessary for the smooth opening of class. Delay the other procedures until the appropriate activity arises. The effective teacher cultivates a positive reputation, communicates with parents and students before school starts, greets the students with positive expectations, has the seating assignment and first assignment ready.” So just like a Boy Scout, teachers must “always be prepared” and instantly set the right tone in the classroom and with their students, otherwise bad first impressions can be extremely detrimental to their reputation with their students in the classroom environment. You must “hook” the students and real them in right away while gaining respect and engagement along the way.
Foremost, the two primary qualities I will embrace to help aid my successful classroom management plan are: 1) to exude empathy and a non-intimidating, warm demeanor. Far too many times have I experienced a cold, dreadfully unapproachable teacher who acted as if I was inflicting great pain upon him or her by answering one small question, or to ask him or her to explain a concept again to me. This is a characteristic no teacher should possess. If you act as if students are an immense burden to you, how on Earth do you plan to win their respect (or for them to respect you?) More significantly, if you are dispassionate and act as if you’d rather be anywhere but at school, the students will catch on to that instantly and the result will be far from a smoothly-run classroom. I know from experience when I dreaded a certain class due to an uncaring, pessimistic teacher who made me feel like a fool, I usually did not do as well in that class as I did in classes where I was fond of the teacher. It all falls on our shoulders.
The teacher must set this specific tone in order for their students to be successful (which is of course, what we all want for our future students!) In this same vein, teachers and students must bond, so to speak, and form solid relationships and work to get a sense of who each other is. This will help immensely down the line. If there is no connection between teacher and students, how will they construct a flourishing learning domain? You have to make the necessary connections with your students in order to expect anything out of them. My number two non-negotiable belief I hold dear as a future teacher is that teachers must work tirelessly to foster creativity within their classrooms, which intertwines with one of the Seven Developmental Needs of Adolescents which is, “self-exploration and definition.” Not only should us as teachers encourage and act as a catalyst for students to “find themselves” and discover more about themselves and what they want through everyday experiences, but we should incorporate these life elements and skills into everything we teach them. After all, the material must be relevant and when it is, students will be infinitely more engaged and be that much more invested in your class; making your classroom that much easier to run.