I spent the last two years of high school at a mini school in Vancouver. The school was small and we called our teachers by their first names but we were never confused about who they were. They shared things with us like their hobbies, they brought their pets, they helped us with our extra-curricular projects and let themselves be human with us. I can’t thank them enough for their kindness and humility in my education, it made all the difference.
Going forward, the key for me to a classroom environment that is positive and productive is to make sure that students know that I care about them and that I mean what I say. Consistency and reliability are important factors in gaining student trust. I want them to know that if I’m being hard on them it’s because I care and know they can do more than they think they can. There is a temptation to be a teacher that students simply “like” but I think being easy to like is at odds sometimes with having high standards for students. Especially in art class, an elective that is at it’s most successful if students can express themselves freely and know that you support them in taking creative risks.
Honest discussions and modelling positive, inclusive behaviour are key ingredients for my classroom to function the way that I want it to. As a teacher, you influence students in ways that you can’t predict. I hope that my commitment to mindfulness and treating students with respect, including apologizing for being wrong, admitting to having feelings rather than trying to be Switzerland, and sharing bits of my life story with them influences them to see me as an adult that can be trusted.
I respect that in art class I ask students to be vulnerable and explore their feelings about various topics in a visual public format. To make the classroom comfortable and to ensure that students have the opportunity to be heard in a safe place, I don’t mind discussing how I feel as well. It’s only fair in an environment of mutual respect. I’ll also make a practice of live demonstrations in class. I did this during practicum and it was effective as well as providing a platform for me to to work publicly, just as the students do. I like to make the playing field a bit more level when I can.