The Importance of Caring
I thought it was interesting how this course mentions the difference between being a friend to the students and a pal. Clearly, I agree that it is not appropriate to be a pal and break the teacher/student relationship, but I do feel that it is crucial to many students to feel understood and that is done by being a friend. When a student is struggling we can do so much to help them see that there is hope, but we can only show them there is hope if we understand their situation. I have had students who were not coming to class and not responding to our efforts to reach out to them. As soon as I was able to talk with them I was able to show them that I truly want to understand their unique situation and help them and they start coming and they start working. How do you try to connect with your students and do you find that your connection with them aids in keeping your students involved?
Mary,
This is so true and such a major part of the instructional process. If they know you care about them as individuals then the human factor of teaching becomes present and that increases their engagement.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
When students know someone cares, them will give that extra push to learn and apply themselves.
Donna,
Good way to support your students and let them know you understand what they are going through in trying to make it through life while being students. This is the human factor in being an educator and it often means the difference between dropping out and remaining in school.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I do think letting the student know you care will encourge them to try harder for you.If it does not pertain to school, you might offer some ideas where they might get help. I have a lot of adult students and some do have a very busy life. I just try to offer ideas on how to make more study time by organizing their time better.
Leah,
This is the human factor and it is an essential part of the teaching learning process. The more you can display this the better. You are providing support to your students yet asking them to meet the standards of the course. This is how it should be. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have a small class room so getting to know my students is not very difficult because of this reason. There has been a few students that I have had the opportunity to sit down with following a bad grade on a quiz/ test and ask what was it exactly that allowed you to receive this grade? And most of the time they will flat out say they did not use the study materials provided or they put other priorities first. And once I have had this discussion with them they have been turning around their grades. I try to keep it professional but I want them to be comfortable telling me and or asking me for help when needed. Most of the time they will admit they havent put enough effort into the course and sometimes that is all they need, they need to hear themselves and realize what they needed to accomplish to get back on track.
Renee,
Thank you for sharing this story. The human factor in student success is very strong. Your caring and outreach sent a message to the student that she was valuable and that she had something to offer. The result was getting back into the school setting and making progress toward her career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Reaching out in righting a brief message on a paper/exam could open the door to showing you are
an approachable person. I had a student that I had to call three times, as she was one quarter away from graduating and suddenly started missing classes. I showed her now far she had come, and upon a completion of a paper I had to have her finish, the student thanked me for contacting her and helping her regain her focus.
