Mistakes
My mistake in teaching for the first time was... being too friendly. I treated the student as a patient. Now I have really learned but I want them to succeed!
When I first started teaching I was treating my students like a friend, and quickly realized that was a BIG NO NO. I have learned that I can be friendly but to a certain extent.
Great advice because I want to be close to them but its better to have a teacher-student relationship. It keeps it more professional and the student will have respect for you. Elaine
Hi Ethel,
You have it now! It is fine to be friendly to students but do not befriend students. Befriending students is way too risky.
Patricia Scales
I agree we also have to make sure and not be to timid and correct them when needed and remember to always support them.
Hi Cory,
It is an instructor's job to confront students when they have made mistakes. Students need to and most want to know when they are not on point.
Patricia Scales
I agree you have to set bounderies with the students. You need to let them know what is ok and what is not, and by doing this you can set a tone for the class and how the students see you as an instructor
It is very important to point out where their is room for improvement. However, it helps if the student has built a rapport and respect with you. They will be less likely to be defensive and more willing to take direction without feeling attacked.
No we can't be their "Friend" but you can establish that you care about them individually and part of that is understanding them and their potential barriers to success...Which sometimes includes hearing their stories.. Being a good listener is essential...Advise about how to fix is not necessarily our area of expertise...Student services may be best suited for this...I believe it's important to have clear boundaries but be humble, down to earth and approachable with your students. It's still possible to be "friendly" and be respected as a teacher/leader.
I have found it is much easier to have a class that respects and hopefully likes you than one that likes but does not respect your authority. It is much harder to maintain a good learning environment with little respect.
Hi Joanna,
You are on point! The perfect combination is to be liked and respected, but I will take respect all day long over being liked.
Patricia Scales
As stated, most do. I had one student that I advised on the proper use of command prompt syntax. The student would not change because it worked the way the student was doing it. Only after moving to another operating system and trying to use the previous method -- which failed -- did the student acknowledge that the universal syntax method was important enough to learn.
Hi John,
Sometimes you have to let students realize their own mistake before they see/understand the importance of doing things the right way.
Patricia Scales
