Hi Carla,
As instructors we should certainly look the part! We should want students to emulate our dress professionally.
Patricia
Hi Nisa,
Great response! We as instructors should never lower our standards to better relate to the students. We should encourage our students to increase their standards to better relate to us.
Patricia
For me, part of creating a positive image is to give the students my undivided attention. I silence my cell phone and never pick it up in class; I do not chew gum or snack on anything while lecturing. As a matter of fact, I never sit and eat with my students even during lunch break to maintain that professional relationship. I know some instructors become comfortable in class and begin to use slang and curse words so students can better identify with them. I find that that disrupts the instructor's image and personally always speak in a very proper manner. Looking the part also plays a huge role.
Hello,
Yes, I agree with you. Dress for success.
Hetzel
Hi Michael,
That's right, you do not want to fake your professionalism; it needs to be geniune because students will see right through the fakeness.
Patricia
Hi Mitchell,
I really like your outlook when it comes to appearance. You look the part, and you serve as a super role model for your students. You can really shed light from a pratical perspective when it comes to accounting.
Patricia
I am an accountant. When I come to class, I look like a professional--suit, tie, shined shoes--hopefully like the kind of person the students aspire to be as they major in accounting. I know that dress doesn't make the accountant, but I stress to the students that dressing for success will change their mindset so that they see themselves becoming who they want to be: professional, knowledgeable, and polished.
All of the comments are accurate. You must look and act professionally, be prepared and be organized. But I would also stress that you must be yourself-just acting professional is not enough. Students are perceptive enough to see through an act. And, as always, humor is a great way to be positive.
Hi Joshua,
Great response! I can tell you lead by example, and you really are the professional that your students are trying to become! You appear to be a super role model.
Patricia
Hi Hilary,
I can tell by your response, you really lead by example. You are the professional that you want your students to become.
Patricia
What I strive to do every week is:
1. Dress appropriately, it¡¦s easy to say that it¡¦s wrong to judge someone by their clothes but your appearance is a huge first impression. I show up every day in a pressed shirt and slacks/Khakis tie and dress shoes. It sets an example to the students and foreshadows what there dress expectations should be when they get into the job market.
2. I have to also watch what I say and do. As an instructor you¡¦re a mentor and should also strive to be a role model. Foul language and a bad attitude project a sense of un-professionalism that I do not want around me.
3. Manners are a big deal down here (Louisiana) I refer to people as Ms. or Mr. (Name), I hold doors open, and say please and thank you. As far as I¡¦m concerned it¡¦s the right thing to do ƒº.
These things and other habits I try and keep up are what, to me, projects a positive image. When I can honestly think to myself that I like and respect me then there¡¦s little reason others shouldn¡¦t as well.
On day one, I strive to be a reflection of my expectation. I dress, speak, and behave in the same manner that I expect my students to exhibit. I respect my students and demand respect in return. I am kind, and leave my bad-mood-mornings at the door. All of these techniques set a standard that my students tend to rise to while in my classes.
Hi Cherry,
Punctuality is very important. If we expect our students to be on time, we certainly have to be on time.
Patricia
Hi Karl,
It is always good to try to get the student to come up with the answer if they can, at some point if you determine that they really do not know the answer, help the student along the way.
Patricia
Iwas once told to answer a question with a question. Years later i figured out why; not to find out what they know but rather what they don't. This alway's improves your image cause you've created a learning moment.
Be to class on time and show your students that their time is just as vauable as yours.
I feel that this is something that we all can build on - selling ourselves. For whatever reason, I consistently see that teachers of all grades and ages don't really sell themselves. It's been a phenomenon that I've been observing with interest.
So, I ask myself two things:
1. What do the kids want me to be?
2. What do I want them to see in my and my actions?
I want them to know that I care, to see that I am capable, for them to believe that I plan with their needs in mind.
So, when I am framing a lesson or a unit, I tell them how ideas link, how I have built on their strengths, how I have capitalized their learning styles, etc. I am constantly framing the work around my efforts and communication that I am invested, too.
Hi Sheri,
That's right! Preparation is key! I would not even think about walking into my classes unprepared. Students will lose all respect for you when they determine you are unprepared/unknowledgeable.
Patricia
Since I teach online, I always post a bio, including a photograph, on the first day of class. By doing so I let my students see that I am a real person who will evaluate them as individuals. I also allow them to see my credentials as a subject matter expert and instructional expert.
To create a positive instructor image you need to enter the classroom feeling positive and self-confident. That includes knowing your subject, your assignments, etc. Students will be able to detect any fear you may have so it is very important that the instructor does their homework before entering the classroom.
