Question for parents of school aged children

amother

Pumpkin

Thu, Jul 13 2017, 7:00 pm

Top two on my list are communication and a an understanding that others might know something you don't (I.e. A willingness to listen to what others say and consider changing your behaviors/beliefs based on it- aka lack of a know-it-all complex).

Obviously one needs to be able to relate to the students and give over information in a clear manner, but believing you have all the answers and/or refusing to communicate respectfully and/or regularly with parents and/or students is a recipe for disaster no matter how well you give over material.

Anon because I'm often on this soapbox IRL

amother

Powderblue

Fri, Jul 14 2017, 6:13 am

Knows how to discipline in a gentle way. I find that the most important thing for a child who has to spend 8 hours a day with an adult is that the adult treats them with respect. I couldn't care less how much you teach my child, as long as you can manage the class as a whole and each individual child with a fair and firm gentleness. I can always teach my child what they are missing in terms of knowledge, but I could never heal a child who was yelled at or punished or treated unfairly for an entire year. Treat them well, and they want to learn and participate - a good relationship with the students is the real basis for an effective learning environment.

keym

Fri, Jul 14 2017, 11:21 am

-Organization. Both in physical belongings and in organizing and structuring the day and year. All to often I see teachers, especially first few years with really amazing and grand plans for the year, but they have no clue how to organize it so the kids are pressured to scramble at the end of the year to accomplish basics.
-Flexibility. and an ability to admit that something is not working so let's scrap it and try something else.
-A bit of a rule breaker. Too often teachers themselves were excellent students who loved school and followed all the rules. Then they become teachers and follow every last school rule, policy, etc with no awareness or understanding in which circumstances rules are made to be bent or broken a little bit for the long term good of the students. Stupid example, it's ok to miss a Thursday of a spelling test because we are working on a very hard math chapter. These kinds of stuff.
-Loves children. It shouldn't have to be said, but a teacher needs to love all children and all children's potential, not just the "by the book" cookie cutter mold kids.
-Humility. A knowledge that they are just a little cog in helping the child turn out well. I have been turned off by teachers who brag how they saved a child, or because of them, this child turned out ok. Relax. It's not all you. It takes a village and mostly siyatta dishmaya.

keym

Fri, Jul 14 2017, 11:22 am

amother wrote:

I wish I could like this at least a dozen times.

amother

Orange

Fri, Jul 14 2017, 11:37 am

Think before they speak. Especially when frustrated at a child. I was publicly humiliated by a teacher multiple times in elementary school and I cannot forget it.

Be on the lookout for kids who don't have friends, always work alone because everyone else is partnered up and there's an odd number in the class or no one wants to work with them etc. I had those teachers. I was bullied (same school as above but once I left I was much happier) so no one wanted to be my friend or even try... Long story but the teachers never tried to do anything differently. Assign partners once in a while. Mix up the class so the same kids are not always together.

Know that you are not always right. I have teachers of my kids who think they always know the right answer and are not open to looking into other ideas.