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?
References
Bernstein, D. A., Frantz, S., & Chew, S. (2020). Teaching psychology: A step
by step guide (Third edition.). Routledge.
