Saturday, April 5, 2014

Who are your students? Just look in the mirror

I don’t remember the exact context but I was recently involved in a Twitter chat and answered a question with the following statement, “As Teachers the one thing we can truly control every day is our attitude...Others will mirror what we portray-no student should be stressed.” Despite, or rather because of, the current climate filled with high stakes testing and accountability, I stand by that statement 100%. The more I thought about it the more examples of how our behavior and attitudes truly impact the development of a student’s outlook toward school and learning.

 10 Ways Your Attitude and Behavior Can Set the Tone for Learning 

  • If you’re stressed out, they’ll be stressed out 
  • Greeting students as they enter the room tells them you are happy to see them 
  • Introduce lessons with passion and excitement
  • If you use sarcasm, so will they 
  • Ask thought provoking questions 
  • Value quality work and effort
  • Smile whenever you can
  • When you stay calm in the face of adversity they will too 
  • Practice active listening with them and your colleagues 
  • Counting down until the end of the year devalues everything you do with the days you have left

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