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.
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. g 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)
