Teachers Care
You may decide to become a teacher because you care
about education and the students you’ll be working with. You know the lasting
impact a great teacher can have on a student perhaps having even experienced it
yourself and you want to make a positive impact on someone else. You want to be
a role model. To commit yourself to teaching means you care about education,
but once you actually become a teacher, that vague concept becomes more
defined: It becomes real, specific and tangible. Once you become a teacher, you
care, not just about education, but about your students’ education.
Great teachers care about their students. They want
them to succeed and are committed to helping them achieve their goals.
Moreover, teachers care about their students’ happiness, well-being and life
beyond the classroom.
“She was clearly interested in every child. She
visited our homes, met our parents, and assisted us in our homework and
studies.”- Daniel K Inouye
Investing yourself in your students creates a positive
atmosphere in the classroom that enhances your relationship with students and
makes them feel important. A student is far more responsive to a teacher who
cares, and is therefore more likely to learn and engage. Connecting with your
students establishes trust, which is important to the students’ learning
because it makes them comfortable enough to participate, ask for help when
needed, and pay closer attention to advice and encouragement. Also, students
feel better about themselves if they feel that a teacher has taken a genuine
interest in them; they are motivated, and stronger self-assurance can make it
easier for the student to challenge themselves academically. Especially with
younger students, away from their parents and overwhelmed by the commotion of
the classroom, a caring teacher is comforting and helps make the transition
easier.
“Every student would get a birthday card for their
birthday...that small gesture meant so much to us.” -- Valerie Penales
A great teacher does not make it a secret that they
care. Go the extra mile. Motivating students by encouraging them, rewarding
them and getting them involved shows your students that their teacher is vested
in their education. Do the best job you can to teach your students and they
will notice. Meet with parents during conferences and school functions. Send
notes home about student performance. Ask about how things are outside the
classroom. Commemorate their birthdays in a small, special way. Make a student
feel as if their life and not just their homework, grades and attendance is of
interest to you.
“They [teachers] make you feel that you were so
important in their lives it makes everything worthwhile.” -- Mr. Jacobowitz
In the New York Times article, “On Facebook, Telling
Teachers How Much They Mean,” Jaqueline Ancess, a researcher at Columbia
University’s Teachers College, says “the most powerful factor in transforming
students is a relationship with a caring teacher who a kid feels particularly
connected to.” It is the teachers who make such an impact that students seek
out many years later, and reconnecting with your students can be a highly
rewarding experience. Not only does it give you the chance to see where your
students ended up, it also gives you the chance to hear their gratitude and to
truly know the kind of impact you had on them.
Whether it’s via Facebook, emails or phone calls,
students are looking to reconnect with the teachers who show that they care,
because it’s these teachers who are likely to make the longest lasting
impression and have the most positive impact on their students.
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