When we think about why we wanted to become teachers, I am sure that many of us wanted to because we would like to shape the next generation into well-rounded citizens and make a positive impact on those whom we teach. As educators, we make a huge impact on our students. Students end up spending around 1,200 hours annually with us instead of their parents, making our impact on their lives even larger. Many times in these hours we will have to be support systems, therapists, and even parent-like figures for them. Even though we may want to make a positive impact on our students, that is not always the case in all scenarios.
When talking about the code of ethics in my education class recently, number five (shall not intentionally expose the student to embarrassment or disparagement) was brought up in discussion. Unfortunately, every student in the class could think of multiple times in their academic career when they felt they were embarrassed unnecessarily by a teacher of theirs. Many of us could clearly remember these times even more so than we could remember positive experiences with our teachers. When I brought this discussion up to my mom, almost forty years later she could still clearly remember times even in elementary and middle school where she felt her teachers did the same. As educators, it is important for us to also realize the negative impact we can make on our students’ lives. These negative impacts can affect the way a child views the education system as a whole, make them scared to show up to school the next day, or take away their attention from what they are learning in the classroom. By acting out of frustration and saying the wrong thing, we can create a bad memory within the education system that sticks with a student throughout their life time.
That is why it is incredibly important to set rules and expectations for yourself as an educator so that you can be an intentional teacher that positively impacts your students by knowing what they are receptive to. A personal rule/expectation I will have for myself as a teacher will be to use a reward and redirect system to avoid acting out of frustration or impulse. By rewarding the students for good behavior and redirecting bad behavior to positive outlets, I will be able to avoid leaving negative impacts on my students’ through punishment or embarrassment by giving them better outlets to redirect their behavior.
Educators are the first stepping stone to creating intelligent, compassionate, and successful future generations. As educators, it is important to be mindful of both the positive and negative impacts that we can have on our students so that we can successfully shape these next generations.
What positive experiences have you had with your teachers? Share your thoughts in the comments below.