How did I implement my educational philosophy in the classroom?

As a beginning teacher who values the cultivation of positive interpersonal relationships with each of my students, I took a number of measures to promote my philosophy in the classroom.

Name Tags:
From the very first class, I made efforts into learning about each student by having each student construct name tags. Inside these name tags, students listed some of their hobbies, interests, and what they hoped to see out of the classroom. This gave me a general sense of what my students were like and became conversation topics in future classes.

Ask Questions:
I made it my goal to come into class before my students arrived at school. This was sometimes difficult as my students would sometimes arrive up to an hour before the first bell. However, I took the initiative to arrive before that and put all the chairs down in order to present a welcoming atmosphere. This also provided me an opportunity to engage my students in conversations (What did you do last weekend? What video game are you playing on your phone? Did you play soccer/tennis/basketball/piano yesterday? What song is that? How do you feel about Justin Bieber these days?). Over my practicum, I’ve found that by asking questions and acting as a blank slate, students are more willing to share about some aspects of their lives.

Share not Overshare:
It is also important to share some details about myself. It is of course not wise to go too much into my private life, but I’ve found that sharing even minor details such as what movie/tv show I’m watching can build trust between myself and the student. Just telling students about your interests can make you more of a human being in their eyes. Although a teacher and student should never be friends, light banter before and in between classes can make a class proceed much more smoothly.

Value their Opinions:
One thing that has stuck with me was a short anecdote that one of my teachers told the class. This was something that she personally observed as she sat in the classroom.

A student approached his/her teacher to ask a question. As the question was being asked, it was apparent that the teacher was not giving his/her full attention. The teacher did not give the student any eye contact and was attempting to mark an assessment at that time. At that time, a colleague of the teacher walked in to ask a question and the teacher perked up immediately and stopped everything that he was doing to engage that colleague. The student was visibly disappointed at the event that he/she had just witnessed.

Upon hearing this story, I resolved never to let this happen in my classroom. As I can personally attest to, just one moment could colour my entire perception of another. Fair? Perhaps not. But it is the reality of interpersonal interactions. Over my practicum, I engaged fully with my students when they approached me. In addition, I made sure to try and remember what they had told me in the future. For instance, if they told me that they were playing in a volleyball game. I would ask them about it a few days later.

1. Learn names.
2. Ask questions.
3. Share. But don’t share everything.
4. LISTEN to your students.