After I graduated high school I went to a vocational college. I was working toward
my Associate’s in Paralegal. I would have to say that my example of both poor
teacher behavior and excellent teacher behavior came from the same professor. I
would typically go to class in the morning, then to my afternoon job, and then to
my night job. I was admittedly late to his class or dozed off in class quite often.
However, when called on to ask a question or for activities I did participate. I
completed all my assignments. One day I had forgotten my homework at home.
He got really angry with me and yelled at me in front of the class, and said that I
probably hadn’t even done it. It turned out a lot of the class also hadn’t done it or
brought it, so he designated some class time for people to finish it. I was so
frustrated at this point I walked out of class that day. The following week he
pulled me aside to apologize. He also stated that he had heard from someone
that I worked two jobs and often until late, and I confirmed. He said he
understood now why I was often late and/or tired. He told me that my work was
often top of the class, and that from now on as long as I checked in with him
during the same day as we had class and turned my work in, he would count me
as attending.
I did not have the words for how this affected my life in so many ways. I still tried
my best to get to class and on time, but some days I just couldn’t wake up. I
would check in with him during his office hours, turn in my work, and we would
chat for a bit. This was during a time in my life where I did not, and had not had
many positive adult role models in my life. He showed me more grace than
anyone had in a very long time. It motivated me to work even harder in his class,
and I was fortunate to have him for a couple other classes later on. This changed
my perspective on continuing college education in a lot of ways, too. I had people
that wanted to understand me and see me succeed, and recognized my strengths
but also helped me work on my weaknesses. He ended up being not only my
teacher, but a mentor and unforgettable role model in my life.
This professor was an amazing example of the first principle in effective
teaching. The first principle is “Encourage Student-Faculty Contact” (Bernstein et
al., 2020). This principle describes that frequent and meaningful contact with
students can help their school engagement both academically and emotionally
(Bernstein, 2020). When students know that their teachers care, they are more
likely to be persistent in their work, even when it is difficult (Bernstein, 2020). This
connection increases the chances that students will perform well and stay in and
continue school (Bernstein, 2020). The principle that could have been improved
on was “Communicate High Expectations” (Bernstein, 2020). Yes, I needed to
show responsibility by coming to class on time, awake and prepared. I also
needed to have my work completed and brought to school each time. However,
yelling at one student in front of class and then yelling at the whole class was not
the way to bring the class back to performing well and maintaining high
standards. The expectations were communicated, but not in a way that was
perceived well by most. However, he addressed the behavior in the next class,
apologized, and repaired the relationship with his students.
Have you ever had an experience where a teacher became a pivotal mentor for
you as well? b
References
Bernstein, D. A., Frantz, S., & Chew, S. (2020). Teaching psychology: A step by
step guide (Third edition.). Routledge.
