Aimee,
If we educators don't bring our passion and enthusiasm to the class it isn't going to be there. Being excited about our field and teaching is one of the rewards of being paid to teaching and share about something that we love. This is a win win as far as I am concerned.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find that enthusiasm is infectious. Whatever it is that you as an instructor find exciting about the topic is probably a common factor for most people and will be found exciting by others interested in the field as well. This keeps students interested and their efforts focused on the material.
Daryll,
Well said. We instructors are helping students to move toward their career goals. This is a very powerful impact that we can have on the lives of our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Mark,
Right you are. We all like to be around people who are excited about their field and are looking forward to sharing with us. This is what marks a good instructor.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Marilyn,
Enthusiasm sells content. If we don't bring it it is for sure the students won't have it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Courtney,
This is why the setting the stage for a positive first class meeting is so important. Then you can build on the first day for learning to occur.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Much of what we achieve is based on personal dreams and aspirations. Education and knowledge gives us the tools to turn these dreams into realities in the students lives. It's important for the instructor to show students through their enthusiasm that dreams do come true through knowledge and discipline.
I think passion for teaching and the subject being taught is one of the most think need to be a successful teacher. With enthusiasm from the instructor in the students will not be engaged.
When an instructor shows they are enthusiastic about the course they are teaching the students will want to hear more about the course and why the instructor finds it so exciting. An instructor that is apathetic will see that reflected in the students attitude toward the course.
Very true! In a classroom setting, one student or persons attitude will effect the whole room. Starting the class off with the right attitude and approach sets the tone for the whole class.
Jenny,
The last sentence of your comments needs to be reinforced to all educators. For our students when taking a course it is the first and hopefully only time they will take it. It is a new to them even if we have taught it a hundred times before. We need to be fresh and current with what we offer. To do anything less is to shirk our dedication to our field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
When I was a student it was very obvious which teachers liked their job and which ones did not. Enthusiasm is something students can dectect right away. I am a fairly new instructor so I am still very excited about my job. I love teaching and my students have told me that it really shows. People who have been teaching for sometime must have to constantly reinvent ways to keep it new and fun.
Though it has been reiterated many times through out this thread, an instructor that is obviously dispassionate about their course, topic or material generates a tone of apathy that the students will pick up on. Apathetic instructors beget apathetic students beget empty classrooms.
If the instructor is admired the student would like to mirror that instructor in knowledge and professionlism. Therefore, if the instructor is enthusiastic the students may want to mirror them in this charecteristic as well.
James,
Right you are about enthusiasm and passion. By bringing it to the class each time it meets you show the students how much you value the content that is being shared and the skills be developed. As I teach nigh classes I appreciate your comments about wearing down toward the end of the week.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
ENTHUSIASM IS CONTAGIOUS. I teach day and night classes at my school. This puts me in the building from 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. I notice that often my enthusium begins to wane by the end of the week. If I allow this to affect my presentation, I see an immediate change in my students; they look as tired as I feel. However, by demonstrating more enthusiasm with direct eye contact, movement through the classroom, more animation in my presentation, I see greater attention and response. The look on students' faces is ofter a reflection of the look on my face.
Vivian,
I like your approach to the classroom. You are setting a standard for your students as well as bringing your passion for the field into the learning environment. I know the sets the tone for each class. Keep up the smile and excitement.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I always come into my classroom with a smile and I acknowlege the class as a whole and then I acknowledge the individual students. I tell my nursing students that even after 25 years of being a nurse, I love my profession and I teach them with that excitement and love and I have many students that thank me for keeping them motivated and excited about learning.
Rhonda,
Thanks for sharing the proverb. I like it because it illustrates how we need to approach the classroom and our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
There is a Chinese proverb that says "He who cannot smile ought not to keep a shop." For an instructor, the classroom is the shop and the students are the customers. This module helped to remind me of how important a smile and enthusiasm can be in influencing student retention.
