You need to show them their future expectations in the workplace.I always tell my students that they are not in school, they are in a trial period at work. Show up on time and dress accordingly.
Hi William,
I totally agree. The instructor is the authoritative figure, therefore the instructor controls the classroom. Without rules, you will have total chaos in the classroom. Students want the classroom to be controlled by the instructor, not the students.
Patricia
Hi Lucy,
It is good for students to see the other side of us as having humor and being friendly. It is important for students to know that we really do have pleasant personalities.
Patricia
Hi Dorothy,
It is the instructor's responsibility to make sure the line is not blurred. The instructor is the bigger person in this situation.
Patricia
It can be confusing to students if an instructor shares too much information about life outside of the classroom. It is important to be friendly, but not friends.
An instructor is a role modle for employment as well as life mentor in some cases.
It can be difficult to give critical feedback to the student during an assignment or test.
The student often exhibits signs of betrayal if clear boundries are not established early.
It is a matter of respect for the instructor and student alike to not get personally involved.
Hi Lynette,
We do have to be very careful. Students really watch and listen to us closely. We have to always be aware of our surroundings.
Patricia
Professional distance is important because it builds students'respect and confidence in the instructor. They are not looking for a buddy, but rather an instructional delivery expert with profound knownledge of the subject matter, as well as how that information is relevant to their own career futures.
I feel that if the students get too comfortable and friendly with an instructor, they forget the importance of professionalism in this industry. When the line between 'instructor' and 'friend' is blurred, the student may start to rely on the instructor to give the grade, instead of relying on him or herself to earn the grade.
Students are not only watching us, but listening to us as we speak to others, including co-workers during break, etc., so we need to be very aware and careful of the example we set at all times.
An instructor should never "befriend" students. That is to say never lose a professional distance. Likewise, an instructor should never discuss personal life or home issues with students.
A student may feel start to feel like the instructor is a friend and then slowly lose confidence, respect, trust in the instructor's ability to teach.
Many times this is a slow process and neither the instructor nor the student is aware it happens.
You need to be friendly with students and develop a bond with them. This can be a very fine line. You must maintain your role as leader in the class with authority which means you can not act like you are one of the students in order to gain their suppport. I found humor now and then during the course of the lecture helps break the ice and develop the bond and the studens get to know who you are.
Its imporant for the level of respect. If an instructor displayed a close attention to an individual other students could feel neglected or uncomfortable therfore losing the respect.
It is extremely difficult if not impossible to be a students friend and maintain control in your classroom. To be in charge of your classroom you must have authority. You cannot have authority over someone who sees you as a friend. Most companies hire supervisory personnel from outside the company, or if they do promote from within that person is transferred to another department. I don't mean to make it sound like some kind of military school, but someone has to be in charge. In the course we just took it stated that if you don't set the rules the students will. That dosen't usually workout. Do you agree or do you think that I am being a little heavy handed?
Someone is always watching! We just don't always know it.
Hi Mark,
Students should always regard you as their instructor, simply based on the instructor's professional actions. We are not teaching to win a popularity contest. We are there to simply educate our students.
Patricia
Students need to believe that you are there to help them professionally. You are not there to become their buddy. Creating and maintaining a teacher/student relationship allows both the instructor and student to focus on optimizing the learning process.
Hi Steven,
You are on point! Many of our students really do look up to us. We are some of our students only role model. We must display professional behavior because we are watched.
Patricia
leading by example is the key. It starts with the way we dress. the way we speak and the way we act. It then goes onto the passion we feel for the subject matter. This shows the student that we feel they are doing an important thing and helps them to want to be the best at it. They may even look uo to us and think to themselves "I want to be like him, A proffessional"
Hi Stephen,
How will conducting yourself in a professional manner help you with your students?
Patricia
coducting yourself in a professional manner will help you with your students
