Maintaining a professional image to your students is very important in classroom management to create boundaries between instructors/students because you are not their buddies. This jeopardizes their learning by crossing a line and respect will be lost by other students and instructors. Instructors grading could be comprimised by "friendships" with students.
You are there to teach them and set an example, not be their friend. You will not gain a student's respect if you become to friendly. You will be accused of having favorites, and may be used or manipulated into allowing students to control you.
Being an online instructor, I need to be sure to quality control my submissions. Am I setting the right tone? Do I have any grammar, punctuation or spelling mistakes? Is my message clear? If I'm doing all of these things then my professionalism should shine through :)
My Best,
Kelli
Students need to feel their instructor is there to help them learn the material and encourage them to grow and shape into a professional. If an instructor becomes a buddy, this could damage the classroom hierarchy and the way other students perceive the instructor.
Hi Kimberly,
Lead by example. Students want and need the instructor to be the dictator.
Patricia
Hi Lawrence,
Yes, you are on point. We are not in it to win a popularity contest. We should maintain a professional image and convey our knowledge to our students in order to change their lives for the better.
Patricia
Hi Tracy,
Students need to know that you care and you truly have their best interest at heart. You need to be friendly to everyone, choosing a select few to be friendly with will cause too many problems.
Patricia
Hi Tracey,
Boudaries must be established. Students need to know that there is a certain line that they are not to cross.
Patricia
Hi Donna,
We must work hard to maintain our professionalism. Students look up to us in more ways than one.
Patricia
Hi Paul,
You are right! Students will quickly pinpoint when we mess up. We should never give students ammunition to judge us in a negative way.
Patricia
Hi Pierre,
I like your thoughts/ways as a professional. You are right on target.
Patricia
Maintaining a professional relationship and distance helps focus my students on completing the course work. For many students, especially those just our of high school, it teaches them about work relationships which they have little or no experience.
So lines do not become blurred. Being too close to students may send the wrong signal, and some students may think that they will recieve special treatment because they are close with the instructor. Other students preception of this is also importatnt, if students precieve that a instructor is giving another student special treatment can create a lot of problems later in the class.
Keep bounderies. Be respectful but firm. Lead by example. Be in control but give empowerement. Have expectations and support standards. Show trust but be diligent and assertive. Create a good environment and nurture individual growth.
Not projecting a professional image creates ambiguous scenarios that are usually judged negatively. We give students too much ammunition ot use against us when we are not professional.
Hi Todd,
Absolutely! It is solely left up to the instructor to make sure the relationship is nothing beyond professional. The instructor takes the leadership to display professional behavior at all times.
Patricia
I strive to maintain my professionalism but when I do make mistakes it also shows them that I am human.
Distance will help to maintain professionalism as well as opportunity for students to suspect favortism.
Hi Joel,
Nicely responded to. Perception is everything! We wanted to be perceived as professionals.
Patricia
Hi Robert,
Absolutely! Talk the talk and walk the walk.
Patricia
