Please allow me to point out something that I consider to be a strength in your paper. I
think you did a nice job of addressing the importance of the relationship between teachers
and students as it relates to the goal of learning/gaining knowledge. As you say in your first
paragraph, when there is a good rapport between the teacher and the students this creates a
conduit for the optimum learning environment. As a military veteran myself, I especially
like how you referenced the concept of a “student soldier,” and how no one on the “team”
should be left behind, as we strive together to gain knowledge.
In an article entitled, The Teacher Behavior Checklist: The Mediation Role of Teacher
Behaviors in the Relationship Between the Students’ Importance of Teachers and Students’
Effort, Geier (2020) describes the results of a cross-sectional analysis that she performed. It
seems that there is evidence that four of the twenty-eight teacher behaviors were
significantly associated with a student’s effort. That is to say, teachers who are: creative,
have the enthusiasm to teach, have a sense of humor and who promote critical thinking
have the best chance of motivating their students to learn (Geier, 2020). I appreciated
reading your post. It was nice to read of the positive experiences you had at CCU. It occurs
to me that, as Christians, we should be held to a higher standard than unbelievers in all that
we do, including teaching. I think the opportunity to attend Christian post-secondary
education is an amazing and enlightening experience. I do not say this to imply that
Christians are perfect, as we know that we are all sinners (King James Bible, 1769/2017,
Romans 3:23), but to emphasize the understanding of treating one another with respect,
love, and grace, which are lacking in many educational institutions. My undergraduate and
graduate degrees were from a Jesuit university, and my prior education was through public
school, so entering Liberty has been refreshing for me, as we have the opportunity to focus
on Biblical principles and to work with Christian professors who pray for us and lead us
according to their calling by God.
It is unfortunate that the other professor you spoke of was so uncaring and dismissive of
student concerns. I do feel a little bit bad for him that he lost his job, but perhaps that job
was not the best fit for him. Hopefully, he was able to find a better match, after having had
that experience.
A strength of your post was your reference to the Teacher Behavior Checklist (Bernstein,
2020). I took note of that as well in my reading this week. As we begin this class, it will be
helpful to use that as a reference to see what areas we do well in and what areas we require
growth in, My hope for us all would be that we evaluate our own strengths and weaknesses
and endeavor to grow daily in the vocation we are called to. I especially liked how you
emphasized that being humble was a big factor in what made your teachers at Colorado
Christian University (CCU) so awesome. In the Book of Exodus, verse 3, Moses relays a
question from God the Father to Pharoah: “How much longer will you refuse to humble
yourself before me? Let my people go so that they may serve me.” From this passage, we
may infer that God the Father places a lot of importance on humility. He expects his people
to be humble and to do his will.
In an essay entitled, Teaching Humility in an Age of Arrogance published in The Chronicle
of Higher Education, Lynch (2020) argues that in this, the Golden Age of Information, it’s
often the case that people think that they know more than they do. a After all, information on
any topic is only a mouse click away on Google, and there is a how-to video on every topic
on YouTube. Relatedly, it seems people do not often show humility on social media apps
like Twitter, because the “Cancel-Culture” we currently live in takes a dim view of anyone
who does not pretend to know everything-about-everything. Nonetheless, it is important for
us to practice something called intellectual humility. That is because people who are
intellectually humble, recognize that they do not know everything, so they are open to
feedback, and therefore, they become open to improving themselves. By the way, it sounds
like the teacher with whom you and the class had a bad experience with at CCU was
arrogant and not humble. You and I had a similar experience with our examples of a good
teacher and it should come as no surprise. "The key to effective teaching is finding your
own way to communicate to students your caring and content knowledge, your motivation
and good intentions" (Bernstein, Frantz, & Chew, 2020, pg. 7). Interestingly enough, your
example of a teacher whom you had a more negative experience with seemed to
communicate his content knowledge, but did not quite express much care. Furthermore, of
the seven principles in our reading for this week, it is arguable he did poorly in five of
them. One principle he seemed to do well with was emphasizing time on task. His strength
seemed to be his intelligence and his focus on disseminating the material. If I had a
professor like this, I would literally record his lectures and break them down later into my
own notes. I would then take the initiative to identify other students who were likely
struggling with the material/method and compare notes. When a professor is lacking certain
aspects it becomes incumbent on the student to overcome it the best they can. a I remember
when I was in her class she was always so calm, kind, and attentive. She was always
interested in what I/we had to say. When we got out of hand, she was able to reel us right
back in. My mom helped with the class a lot at the time, and my mom and her became
good friends. During the summer we would help her take stuff down from the previous year
and get things prepared for the following year. After my mom passed, I made sure to stay
in touch with her. Now, I work as a school counselor. Like you said, there are so many
more things that I see now that make her even more special. I understand even more of the
challenges she faced, and she always did so with grace. I still keep in touch with her until
this day, and I know that is an extra special gift. Thank you for sharing your special
experience with your kindergarten teacher!
References
Geier, M. T. (2020). The teacher behavior checklist: The mediation role of teacher
behaviors in the relationship between the students’ importance of teacher behaviors and
students’ effort. Teaching of Psychology, 49(1), 14–20.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320979896
Bernstein, D. A., Frantz, S., & Chew, S. (2020). Teaching Psychology: A Step-by-Step
Guide. Routledge.
King James Bible. (2017). Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1769)
