I have read some wonderful responses to your question. Wish I had time to respond to all the incoming statements. I think we are all on the same page of professionalism! Thank you.
I work at seeing the positive attributes of each student. If I sense a student is in " personal need" I appreciate and use the chain of command and comunication.
To personalize class management could be interpreted in many ways. The first that comes to mind is favoritism.
I, myself, have learned the most from people that I respect as role models. That respect is based on their credentials, professionalism, and demeanor. I want to give my students someone like that to seek out for academic, career-related and professional advise. That said, that role model is not a "friend". I have to care about them enough to remain in the wings guiding, encouraging and teaching.
Not only do students push the boundaries, if they get away with it, you will never have control again! Students do what they are told, when they are told to do it. If an instructor gets too close to certain students, they begin to feel privaliged, and don't feel they have to follow the rules. Other students see this and think the instructor is playing favorites. This can be a very tough situation.
Especially in dealing with adult students, it is vital to maintain boundaries and levels of respect. We treat them as adults to earn their respect and trust, but they have realize we are their educators not their best friend.... I heard a fellow instructor saythe other day, "i am equal opportunity educator and offender".
Hi Kenneth,
Awesome response! It is simple, we should certainly lead by example. Students need good role models. We need to be the professionals that we want our students to become.
Patricia Scales
Hi Heidi,
You are on point! All students should be treated the same. Befriending students is way too risky. I have known instructors to lose their job because of having a personal relationship with students.
Patricia Scales
Hi Blanche,
Absolutely! A line has to be drawn. We have to let students know that we genuinely care about them, but we do not need to befriend them.
Patricia Scales
By maintaing a professional image you will build rapport with the student and they will respect you.
The instructor has to maintain that distance though still convey that she cares about their professional development but never be too friendly and have favored students.
The instructor can not be the students' friend. Friend's ask favors of each other, expect more understanding and should support each other. An instructor can not have that bias, (s)he needs to treat everyone equally.
Professional image includes appropriate dress, grooming, or conduct enhances patient's confidence in the quality of their care that the health care professional provide. It also portrays standards which are reflected of the way the person looks, moves and speaks .
Hi Rhonda,
No! Instructors need to know their place. There should be a designated smoke area for both students and one for instructors. People become friends during smoke break. Instructors do not need to befriend students.
Patricia Scales
Maintaining a professional image
Students enter post-secondary education with the expectation that the individual instructing the class is a subject matter expert (SME), trained to present the material, and are a role model to pattern themselves after. Instructors need to fill all of these roles and this requires the instructor to be the professional image the students seek.
Professional can be defined by Webster’s Merriam Dictionary as:
Definition of PROFESSIONAL
1a : of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession b : engaged in one of the learned professions c (1) : characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2) : exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace
Students enter looking to develop these skillsets as well as the technical skill sets required in there desired profession. The instructors are the first impressions that students often are presented as professionals. For many students, this might be their first experience with the demands of professionalism such as being on time to class, completing assignments (projects), or working in group settings.
Instructors need to present to class each session prior to the start of class ready to go. The students will often rise to bar of expectation if the instructor presents an example to follow. The instructor knows prior to the start of class what material will need to be present and should be prepared to handle that material with a contingency plan for other events. This shows the student that planning to achieve success is better than failing to plan because failing to plan is planning to fail.
Today’s students need leadership and persons that present professional images to develop their own sense of professionalism. Technical skills are taught each day but the skill most students lack are the soft skill sets. If an instructor presents each day to class late, unprepared, and with little or no concern, the student will develop thought patterns that this is not important and will lose interest. Students with instructors that live and breathe professional images have a greater chance to develop their own standards of professional image that will match the profession.
Maintaining a professional distance is imperative to maintaining a productive class environment. It falls short when some instructors fail to maintain that environment. I have had students want to call me by my first name because it was after class time and they were staying to catch up on work. I explained that even though class was over, I am still the instructor. What is your opinion of instructors who hang out and smoke with students at break time?
Maintaining a professional image is important because it keeps the students engaged in a professional learning environment. Like a supervisor and employee.
Telling students it's important to present a proper image is meaningless if the instructor doesn't! I am constantly aware that I am a role model for my students!!
Proper attire is one of those "soft skills" so important to their success.
Albert D'Addario
Hi Angela,
That's right, it is simple, DO NOT befriend your students. A friendhsip with a student is way too risky.
Patricia Scales
Becoming friends with a student weakens respect for you as a professional because it's bound to cause bias. The rest of the class will pick up on this and may be offended and have a lack respect. Also if you have a falling out this would make things uneasy and difficult. Don't be friends with students.
