One of my biggest takeaways from the EdTalks is that we can’t assume anything about our students. It is quite easy to think that teaching is a perfect world where all students are equal, they all want to be there, or they all have the same resources. But the reality is that many of the students we teach are far from what we want to believe. We often say that all students are equal and should be treated the same. However, each student has different needs; therefore, students shouldn’t be treated equally but they should be treated fairly. It is important to remember that each student comes from a different background and home life. We can never assume that they have access to the latest technology or similar resources just because it is a privilege that many enjoy.
Going along with that, we can’t assume that every student is going to trust us and want to talk to us about their problems or home lives. We have to be able to support each student in the way that suits them best because oftentimes it is a small population of students who will want to openly talk about their problems one-on-one with you. If there are violence or bullying-related problems of course it is important to step in, stop them, and hear from each student’s side of the story separately. However, if it is more of a mental problem that you can see developing it is important not to push the student too much to talk to you. In class, we talked a lot about pulling students aside, away from peers, and talking to them, but many students are shy and don’t want to feel like you are forcing them to talk to you. It is important to make the student feel safe in your classroom but also being able to read your students and knowing your boundaries. For example, I was one of the shy students who didn’t want to talk often, but I had a teacher who could sometimes tell when I was having an off day. My friend and I were in her first class period of the day and would often go to the room very early, drop our supplies, and walk in the hallways until class started. Some days when she could tell something was off as well as normal days, she would simply ask how I was doing. It wasn’t a pushing question, it was just a normal conversation but since it was often before a lot of other students were there it reminded me that she was always there if I needed it and that I wasn’t just overlooked because I was quiet. A lot of times, the impact that students feel it’s from a grand gesture to force answers and conversation out of them, but rather it is found and maintained through little things. As a teacher, it is important to be consistent. Building relationships with students will take time and each student will respond differently, but consistency in small things shows a student that you really care and that it isn’t an act.
