The Student Knows Best

We have all been students before. We know what we expect of a teacher or what we think they should do. Now that we are becoming teachers, we have a habit of falling back into old ways, where we are comfortable and what we have experience with. We have lost sight of what we need to or should be.

Instead of thinking about the teaching you don't want to be, figure out what type of teacher you do want to be. And the best way to do that is to ask the students what they think a good teacher should be like. That is why we invited a panel of students at CFHS to talk to us, a group of prospective teachers, and be brutally honest with us.

We asked the students lots of questions about what they like and don't like about teachers, and they gave us lots of answers. Here's a list of things that students say we, as teachers, should and should not do:

• Be open-minded.
• Understand that everyone learns differently. Be open to different ways of learning.
• Respect is a two-way street - if you respect the students and their individuality,  then they will respect you.
• Know what age/grade level you are teaching and keep in mind the level of instruction/direction that they need (i.e. Freshmen need more instruction and guidance than Seniors, who should be able to do many tasks on  their own).
• Keep class fun. Don't talk the whole time.
• If you are going to lecture, keep it short and be confident in what you are saying.
• Students can tell when you are not confident in what you are saying or doing. Don't look weak.
•  Have multiple ways to explain things. If a student doesn't understand one way of an explanation, try a different approach.
• When assigning group work, know what type of group is appropriate.
• If students are working together to do classwork, it is okay to let them work with friends.
• When students are assigned a project, it is better for you (the teacher) to assign groups so that groups can be productive and diverse.
• Don't make students feel stupid. Encourage them to reason and think things through, praise them, and push them to achieve greater.
• Don't be afraid of students.
• Let students know that you are in control. Set guidelines from the beginning. Have a tough skin but a gooey center.
• Don't be too loose, but don't be too strict. Being on extremes of the spectrum can be dangerous.
• Be patient. Don't force anything on your students.
• Understand that students have a life outside of school, too.
• CARE