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. f 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. f 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)
