Part II: Improving the Learning Environment
Chapter 18: Preparing for a Substitute Teacher
Connecting with Your
Students
T
he teacher is the focal point of the class and the greatest variable in whether a stu- dent succeeds. Few kids, especially those in elementary and junior high, enter their classes on a quest for knowl- edge. Their interest in the subject matter and their willingness to be attentive in class revolve around their feelings about their teacher. Students will behave better in class if they believe their teacher is a good person who respects them and cares about them. This chapter provides several strategies for making the most of your role as teacher and connecting with your students.Appreciating the First Days of School
If ever there were a time when teaching seems easy, it’s the first few days of the school year. The students show up on time, sit quietly in their seats, and look interested when you are talking. This honeymoon occurs almost every year and makes the beginning of a new school year a little easier. But don’t think for a moment that the students are acting this way because they have heard of your reputation and expect them to dedicate themselves to their studies like monks for the rest of the school year. Instead, enjoy the honeymoon, teach your lesson, and keep friendly, but firm control of your classes.
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The first few days of school are a good time to start building rapport with your students and establishing yourself in their eyes as a good person.
Even though the students sit meek as mice before you, take time to go over your discipline and academic policies. When the first bit of mis- behavior occurs, react immediately by instituting whatever punish- ment you told them would happen. Typically that involves a name on the board or a seat change.
Becoming a Good Person in the Eyes of
Your Students
In the late 1950s one of my junior high teachers announced, “This isn’t a popularity contest. I’m the teacher, and you’ll do what I say.” He was right. He wasn’t popular, and we students did what he said because to do otherwise would get us a boot to the seat of our pants or a slap across the face. But if his back was turned or he left the room, we would do anything we thought we could get away with. As far as our schoolwork went in that class, our own desire to get an A was the only reason any of us did well.
On the other hand, my junior high Spanish teacher, Mr. Smith, went out of his way to get to know all of the students in my class. For example, because he knew I loved to fish, he would talk with me about fishing. He spoke softly and conducted his class in a relaxed manner. We students liked him and felt he was our friend. We were attentive and didn’t cause trouble in his class because we didn’t want to disappoint him.
Mr. Smith had discipline rules that he explained were necessary so he could teach. If one of our peers misbehaved, the class viewed that stu- dent as the bad guy and viewed Mr. Smith as the good guy, even though he administered the discipline. How could we dislike or even hate a teacher who seemed to genuinely like us and had empathy for those he disciplined? He would tell them that he hated to levy the
penalty (which was either detention or banishment to the hall), but if he let their bad behavior go without punishment, it was unfair to the rest of us. We students bought into Mr. Smith’s logic and respected him even more.
As my experience with my teachers shows, teaching is a popularity contest in some respects because students behave because they like you. How do you get students to like you and still teach them what they need to know? You need to do four things:
1. Get to know your students. 2. Gain your students’ respect. 3. Treat every student equally. 4. Show students that you care.
The following sections cover each of these topics.
Getting to Know Your Students
One way to get students to like you is to show an interest in them by getting to know them. If you are like most secondary teachers, you probably have five or six classes with anywhere from 125 to 180 stu- dents each semester, so you have your work cut out for you. As you put faces with names at the beginning of the year, you should also be trying to get to know each of your charges as individuals. Try these ideas:
■ Greet students as they enter the classroom and when you see
them in the halls. Even a simple hello shows them that you are friendly.
■ Stop to talk and joke with your students in the hall or lunchroom
and before, after, and during class. This contact helps you to see them as something other than names on a seating chart, and they get to know you in a different way. Comment about their clothes or talk with them about sports or whatever you feel is interesting to them.
■ Open or close class by bringing up something nonacademic, such
as television, the weather, current events, or the high school game last night. These conversations give you a chance to hear from and learn a bit about your students while demonstrating that you are a person whose interests extend well beyond being a teacher.
■ To select a student for a classroom exercise, such as correcting
daily work or homework, ask the class a question such as “Who
lives the farthest from school?” “Who was born the farthest from the school district?” “Who has the largest pet?” or “Who has run the farthest?” Their answers tell you a little more about who is in
your class.
■ Let students know that they are welcome to stop in your class-
room and talk either before or after school. When I taught, I was usually in my classroom a half hour before class started in the morning. I had visitors on most days, but they rarely asked for help with schoolwork. Mostly we just talked about whatever topic came up.
■ On the first day of class, have your students write letters telling
you about themselves. Not only will these letters help you to get to know your students, but they also will help you prepare to meet their parents at conference time.
■ Invest some time with your students at their extracurricular activ-
ities by chaperoning dances and attending concerts and sporting events.
■ Be friendly when you encounter a student outside of school.
Because I lived in the town where I taught, I saw my students almost everywhere I went. When I encountered a student, I would greet him or her or maybe stop for a minute to exchange a few words.
Gaining Your Students’ Respect
Gaining the respect of your students comes from treating them the way you would like to be treated. We all were once students and sat
in classrooms for at least 17 years under the control of scores of teach- ers. We all can remember some excellent instructors as well as recall others who were truly awful. I resented those teachers who talked down to their students, speaking to them in a condescending manner. Instructors who had teacher’s pets or showed favoritism to certain stu- dents did not get my respect either. I didn’t mind teachers who were strict disciplinarians or tough graders as long as they were fair. When a teacher took the time to explain the rationale for a school policy or an action she was taking, my respect for that teacher grew.
This viewpoint probably came from my upbringing. My parents gave my brother and me the usual dos and don’ts to follow. Most of the rules seemed reasonable because it was readily apparent that follow- ing them would keep us from drowning or getting electrocuted, burned, hit by a car, or preyed upon by criminals. The reasons for some of their dictates seemed less obvious, such as being home by cur- few, not going certain places, and keeping our rooms clean.
My brother and I were always allowed to question our parents’ rules. They then would give us the rationale for why a decision was made. Questioning their decision and offering reasons for why it should be overturned was okay with them as long as we didn’t get emotional. They would listen, seeming to welcome our input, and then occasion- ally would alter their dictate. More likely their original decision would remain unchanged. My brother and I felt like our parents respected us and valued our input when we sought a change in the rules. In con- trast, I had a close friend whose dad also had a set of rules for his son. But if the kid asked why a decision was made, he was abruptly told, “Because I’m your father, that’s why.”
I decided that when I became a teacher, I would try to treat my stu- dents the way my parents treated me. However, taking that ideal from my home to the classroom proved more difficult than I imagined. For example, my parents just had my brother and me to question them; the classroom numbers were considerably higher. Further muddying the disciplinary waters was the fact that my students came from a
gamut of backgrounds, had been raised with all types of behavioral expectations, and had been exposed to a variety of moral standards. I discovered that although getting all my students to buy into one set of classroom standards seemed at times to be as difficult as herding cats, it could be done.
Treating Every Student Equally
It’s hard not to have favorites. Some students are just a lot more appealing than others. They enjoy talking with adults, may share the same interests, or perhaps are on a team coached by the teacher. You may find yourself paying more attention to these individuals than to others. However, if you do, other students will notice and will likely feel that favoritism is occurring. They are liable to perceive that injus- tices are happening when you discipline others but not your favorites. In the classroom there can be no favorites. Make a conscious effort to get to know all students. You may not be able to have a conversation with everyone each day, but you should greet all of your students on a regular basis. Teachers tend to spend most of their time focusing on the extroverts, those who have the gift of gab. These students seek your attention by engaging you in conversation or through misbehav- ior that must be corrected. But beyond them are the quiet kids who aren’t seeking your attention. These are the students whom teachers must make sure they connect with regularly.
Showing That You Care
Although students will often work harder on their academics or rein in some of their bad behaviors for teachers they like and respect, the results may be best of all when they know a teacher cares about them. If somehow students believe that their teacher’s interest in them goes beyond whether they behave in class and master the curriculum, they may work hard to please the teacher.
Sometimes when I’m trying to encourage students to get their work in on time and do their best, I’ll say something like this:
“I care about you. I want you to be able to live in a good house, to buy a snowmobile or jet-ski if you want, and to visit Disney World or go skiing in the Rockies. To do that, you’re going to need at least a high school diploma and probably education beyond that. We’re trying to teach you things that will help you pass eighth grade, be prepared for ninth grade, and eventually get that diploma. If I just let you goof off, it’s not going to happen. You’re not going to graduate. I’m available to help you in any way I can. I just need you to try.”
Don’t be afraid to tell a student, “I care about you.”
When you spend time getting to know the kids in your school by talk- ing to them and listening to what’s on their minds, they will begin to see that you’re not just another adult, but someone who genuinely is interested in them. As you develop friendships with your students, they behave better and complete their assignments, because they don’t want to disappoint you. The stereotype of the mean teacher has faded, and they now see you both as their teacher and their friend.
Remaining Calm, Cool, and Collected
Being animated in your teaching and perhaps infusing your lessons with a little drama is perfectly acceptable. After all, teaching is a little bit like the entertainment business. In both careers you are seeking to engage your audience and keep their attention. However, it’s impor- tant to keep your emotions in check when you’re dealing with class disruptions. Even if you’re dealing with agitated students who are shouting at you, don’t shout back. Speak with authority and remain calm as you deal with the issue.
Shouting may be warranted if there’s a fight. A loud shout from you, especially if no one has heard you shout before, may be so startling that it alone may stop the fight. Also, science and shop teachers may need to shout if students are using equipment in an unsafe manner that could result in an injury or damage to equipment.
If the student is just upset and not maligning anyone, speak slowly and clearly, saying something like, “I can see you’re frustrated, but I
need to get on with the lesson.” Then offer the student whichever
option seems most practical: a pass to visit the counselor or an offer to talk to you after class. Make it clear to the student that she can’t continue to have center stage.
If she appears to be visibly angry and still doesn’t take your offer to leave class, point out that she must settle down immediately or you will have to take disciplinary action, such as time after class, a deten- tion, or a visit to the principal’s office. When students are upset, they are experiencing such a rush of emotion that they cannot always respond rationally. You must act directly and forcefully without los- ing control.
Teaching Your Worst Class
Students often ask, “What’s your favorite class?” or “Are we your favorite class?” My answer is, “I like all my classes,” or facetiously I might say, “You’re my favorite class.”
Even though it may be hard to pick which class you like best, there’s no doubt in your mind what your worst class is. Whether it’s a sched- uling quirk, fate, or bad karma, at least one of your classes inevitably has a disproportionate number of bad apples. Sometimes a few chronically misbehaving students keep the group in turmoil. In other cases, a group of very social individuals constantly disrupts the rest of
the class. Whatever the case, such a class becomes a real test of a teacher’s classroom management skills.
To succeed in this situation involves instituting a class management plan and then religiously following it. The names-on-the-board system coupled with a carefully planned seating chart usually works well as long as you are consistent in using the system. After explaining that those who interfere with your teaching or the learning process will have their names written on the board and will have to stay after class, pick up the marker and start writing. Students in these classes usually don’t like having assigned seats, but the only way to break up talka- tive students is to put some space between them. If you are not getting the response you need in class, make phone calls home. Use detentions if needed, but try not to give them out often. The goal is for you to handle discipline issues on your own, not defer enforcement to the administration.
When faced with an unruly class, teaching the curriculum may be dif- ficult at first. Because not much learning will take place until the kids are behaving, the focus initially will have to be on classroom manage- ment. Once the class figures out that there will be unpleasant conse- quences for misbehavior, they’ll shape up, and you can start teaching academics.
Classroom management is never-ending with problem classes. You don’t spend much time at your desk; instead you walk through the classroom, making sure students are on task. Although rarely do these classes become easy to manage, in time the students settle down, and you can relax a bit. However, you will probably always have a marker in hand to remind students that if they misbehave, their names will go on the board.
Peer pressure can work in these situations. What happens is that in your other, well-behaved classes, you will start to do more fun things, and the students in those classes will tell the students in the problem class about these good times. (You would be surprised at how much talk goes on in the lunchroom about what’s happening in classes.)
In any event, the students in your problem class will want to get in on the fun. Point out that the reason that you haven’t done fun things with these students isn’t because you don’t like them, but that you were afraid that if you loosened things up, there would be chaos. Students understand this logic. Tell the students that if they behave better, you will do fun things with this group. What you will invari- ably discover is that the chronic misbehaving students will be pressured by their peers to behave better. And when the behavior gets better, you can start doing some fun things in class.
Keeping Good Classes from Going Bad
Teachers soon realize that they have to clamp down on classes with problem students or an overabundance of youthful exuberance. However, the class that can become the biggest headache is the one you thought was your best class. At the beginning of the year, these students behaved themselves, were attentive, and did their work. So you loosened up a bit more with this group, kidded with them, and perhaps gave them some privileges. You relaxed discipline standards because you rarely had to keep anyone after class.
Gradually, however, you find yourself having to give this class more frequent reminders to be quiet and having to speak up because stu- dents continue to converse when you are talking. Realizing that you