How Real Are You as a Teacher?

New teachers often stick to the authoritative image in order to save face. While this may be a good tactic to keep order, often new teachers forget one thing: who they really are.

During my first few years of teaching, students often distracted me by saying funny or cute things.

They asked personal questions.

This distracted me even further.

My teacher voice and intuition said "I can't slip out of my teacher role. I'm the teacher!"

I didn't want to take the attention away from myself.

And as a teacher, I wanted to stay in control. I didn't want my authority challenged.

So I kept going with the lesson.

And since I knew my classes well, my decision to continue with the lesson was a good one.

But I didn't set it as my intention to show them that I'm a person too.

This is what they also wanted to see.

So starting today, see how you can integrate the "person" within your teacher role.

Here's an example -

If your students are chatty as you enter the class, you could respond by saying, "Wow - you're all so chatty today. What's going on? I'll need a volunteer to tell me in one sentence why."

You might even respond to your students by saying how you are amazed that they still have energy to study after doing a fifteen minute run around the school. In fact, they don't look as tired as they say they are...

By then, they are a bit calmer. Perhaps the class is now a bit quieter. You've related to them..and all it took was just a few minutes!

And then you can then direct them to a 5 minute "Do Now" activity that is geared to their level and interest.

You can then put them to work on the lesson you've planned for the day......

Teaching is largely a process of connecting and reconnecting to our students.

We just need to be real while doing it.

It's impossible to teach children while thinking we need to stick to our authority.

And this is what real teaching is all about!

So work it!