Hi Bonnie,
My thoughts are identical. I am very friendly with my students, but they know that I am not their friend. I am their teacher. I respect my students, therefore they respect me. Respect is earned. I carry myself professionally at all times to gain students respect.
Patricia
Hi Natasha,
Great response! Professionalism is best demonstrated verses spoken. Actions depict professionalism.
Patricia
Hi James,
Boundaries must be established. I have been teaching for over 21 years, and never allow a student to get too close (personally) to me. Once a student feels a sense of closeness, they can mistaken that as a personal connection. As educators, we must keep everything professional.
Patricia
Maintaining a certain distance is important as an instructor as a specific role to play and the student has a role to play. If we start becoming to friendly, certain boundaries will disappera.
Professionalism sets standards, expectations and create a specific environment in which student will operate. Student look at their instructor as a mentor or a guide. By setting the wrong image, they will believe that it is acceptable, in class and in the real world, not to act professionally.
Hi Joseph,
Professional image certainly makes a distinction. As educators, we must carry ourselves professionally at all times. We are watched.
Patricia
Hi Robert,
Great response! I concur. Protect yourself as an instructor and do not let students cross the line into the danger zone.
Patricia
Hi Charles,
I like your outlook! I feel as educators we should be held to higher standards than our students because we are the leaders.
Patricia
There is a thin line that you don't want ro cross with the students, we can be frienly just not their friends. Once that line is crossed it will create problems either with that student or other students who may see it as favoritism. You can have fun in the classroom but it has to also be managed properly.
We as instructors may not like it, but we are held to the same standards that we ask of our students.I try to teach a little "class" besides my subject. I criticize bad language and explain to my charges that it takes the same effort to use proper grammar that it takes to show ignorance. Let's face it, whether fair or not, success is usually based on impressions.My students know that I expect respect from them and they will get the same in return from me.
The distance you maintain is a protection against becoming a "buddy" with some of your students. Once seen as a buddy, you are going to be thought of as having favorites and subject to whims and manipulation. This threatens the safty of an impartial learning environment that nurtures the belief in a student's effort having direct effect on their success (grades) in class. As a result, morale can take a dive, respect for the instructor diminished, and control of the class is threatened.
Hi Thomas,
A student/teacher relationship should never go out the four walls of the institution. The minute you begin to hang out with students, that is the very minute you are putting your job in danger.
Patricia
It maintains respect between Instructor and student.
Hi Faith,
The one thing you don't want to do is to lose your students respect. Once respect is lost, it is truly hard to regain. Work on not ever losing your students respect.
Patricia
Hi Kevin,
We as instructors must also respect our students. Just because we are the authoritative figure, it does not mean we have to be disrespectful. Normally, if you give respect, you will receive respect.
Patricia
If you develop a relationship with your students beyond the classroom you will loose the respect of the rest of the student base. A situation can defiantly get out of hand really quickly if the student base is talking about you like your another student or one of their friends. Instructors are scrutinized enough so you don't want to complicate things by letting your students into your personal life. Not only can your professionalism be called into question but you can end up causing students to question your morals.
Students have to learn to respect you as a professional and you have to earn that respect. You earn respect by being knowledgable and by holding everyone to the same standard. In order to hold everyone to the same standard, you must have some professional distance to avoid the appearance of having favorites.
I think too many instructors fall into this trap. They develop personal relationships with students based on past life experience that has been shared or even worse, they feel a sense of emotional connection. Once this behavior has been established it is downhill from there. Other students that have not made this connection will pick up on small suggestive speech during classtime or they will pick up on favortism. The challenge is that sometimes the instructor does not even know this behavior is present. The best thing to do as an istructor is to make sure you set boundaries of yourself prior going into class as well as deal with them effectively and immediatly as they are presented.
I agree. Instructors should be held at the highest of professionalism at all times. They know everything we do, say and wait for us to mess up. I believe that we set an example for our students. If we behave in a professional manner, they will understand and have a visual of what professionalism is. Many of them ask, "What is professionalism?" So, if it is displayed at all times by the mentors and role models (instructors) they will know and protray those same characteristics.
It is important to maintain a professional image for the students. If you start to relate to the students on their level they will start to lose respect for you as an instructor. If you lose the respect of the students you will have to work twice as hard to instruct them and regain their respect.
Hi Gregory,
You are on point! As educators, we must lead by example, and certainly practice what we preach.
Patricia
