Get Your Students Hired
I am a 23 year old instructor and most of my students are younger than me and sometimes I find challenges in keeping things balanced. They find it hard to respect me based off of age and Im still learning how to bridge the gap.
I firmly agree with Ms. Hartsfield. Respect is an integral part of classroom instruction. In order to be able to earn everyone's respect, regardless of their age, the tone is set early on and slowly a respect is earned through students who feel your knowledge and desire to help them succeed.
Hi Natalie,
Excellent point. As instructors we are not peers with our students. We are at a different level in our careers than they, even though they may be our age or older. The key is, as you mentioned, earning their respect. You can do that by dressing and acting the role of a professional educator. Once respect is earned then the course will progress forward and everyone will benefit from the relationship format that has been established.
Gary
I am an instructor at a school where most of the students are roughly in my age bracket. I feel it is important to not only treat each student with respect but also to set the tone early on that you are the instructor and you are there to help and pass on your knowledge to them.
A lot of the time, when students begin to see you as a peer, they may try to test how far they can push you or how much they can get away with. It is important to treat all students -- older, younger, or the same age as you -- equally. Build a student/teacher relationship with mutual respect and understanding.
I feel no matter what age you or your students are, the instuctor must always treat students with respect. I have many students much younger than me, as well as a handful of students older than me. I may have to explain things in a different way to older students then I would to a younger student, but always instruct with respect.
Hi Brenda,
Even though the instructors may be younger than the majority of their students they can earn and hold the respect of their students by being prepared and professional. You make a good point about how important respect is to teaching success.
Gary
I am an instructor. I don't have many students who are younger than I am; however, there are some teachers on our staff who are very young. They have many students who are older than they are. We discussed the fact that this age difference sometimes results in some students showing lack of respect. This changes once the instructor shows the student that she/he has also been down the same road, and she/he can offer words of advice. Their experience and wisdom in the field will overtake their previous feelings toward that younger teacher. Mutual respect is always needed.
Hi Matthew,
You have done a great job of outlining how an instructor needs to work with older learners. These learners can be great assets when used in sharing their life experiences in relation to the content being studied. I have found that their respect increases dramatically when they are given a role to play in the class which helps to motivate them as they engage in the class activities.
Gary