Personal Influence: Mrs. Lawhead (1st Grade Teacher)
I have said since I was very young that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. With that being said I have come in contact with many people that have helped move this decision forward. One person that made me love scho
ol at a very young age is my first grade teacher, Mrs. Lawhead. She had taught many of my siblings and I was looking forward to having her as my teacher. Kindergarten was a tough year for me as I had trouble transitioning into school and away from my mom. I remember walking into school my very first day of first grade being so nervous and all of my worries faded away as she welcomed my classmates and I. Mrs. Lawhead still sticks in my head today as one of the kindest and most caring teachers. She worked hard throughout the year to form and maintain a relationship with each of her students. She also made her classroom a positive environment for learning. I strive to have a classroom where students feel so good and welcomed as soon as they walk through the door just like she made me feel.
Education Guru: Rita Pierson
While Mrs. Lawhead is a personal educational guru for me, another educational guru that I have is Rita Pierson. I have been assigned the TED Talk “Every kid needs a champion” by Rita Pierson for many of my classes. Even though I have already watched it before I watch again each time and I am so inspired. Rita describes relationship as a key component of teaching effectively. She is quoted saying “kids don’t learn from people they don’t like”. She also talks about going above and beyond by keeping food in her desk for hungry students and a toothbrush and soap for dirty students. Rita shares quotes from others in her TED talk saying “no significant learning can occur without a significant relationship”. She clearly believes that relationship is as important as what you teach, how you teach, and why you teach because students will not achieve their learning goals if they are not connected to their teacher. Students need to be able to talk to their teacher, trust their teacher, and not be afraid to make mistakes in order to thrive in their classroom.
Rita made students feel like they were so empowered. In turn these students did incredible things. She once told her class they were the chosen to be in her class and she was chosen to be the teacher and that they “are somebody”. She truly taught her students that each of them mattered and found the positive in everything. This made her students truly love her and learn so much from her.
So What? How Does This Affect My Teaching?
A good teacher can easily by developed by learning how to teach and what to teach. However, a great teacher emerges when relationships are built with students. I hope to emulate Rita Pierson and Mrs. Lawhead’s love for students and desire to build strong relationships in my own classroom. For example, in an effort to know and understand my students I will learn what cultures will be apart of my classroom and do my best to learn all I can about them. I will also pay close attention to my students as Rita Pierson does to meet each of their needs. Unfortunately, teaching is not just about teacher. I know that sounds crazy but some students come into the classroom needing so much more than just an education from their teachers. I will strive to meet all needs my students have whether that be to make sure they eat, or make sure they are clean, or to make sure that I am not putting expectations on my students that they can’t meet due to special circumstances. This is part of Rita Pierson that I respect the most. She made sure to reach the most challenging and hard to like students because these were the students that needed her the most. I also want to strive to learn as much as I can about my students home life so I can support them in any way that may be necessary (whether it is lack of parents being home, a lack of money or food, ect). Once I am able to learn all of these things about my students I will make sure that my instruction is challenging but also meets them where they are at.
Teachers need to have open communication, compassion, empathy, mutual respect, and patience when forming good relationships with their students. I strive to have a classroom where time is taken to form these relationships. I want my classroom and myself to be a safe place for my students to come. I want my students to walk into my classroom and feel welcome. I hope that this welcoming feeling and safe space can then translate into a love for learning that impact my students for the rest of their lives.
Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson
Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, “They don’t pay me to like the kids.” Her response: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’…
More Resources on Relationships in Classrooms
The Importance of Teaching Through Relationships
Initially, it was a phrase that I didn’t think much about because I thought I “sort of knew” what it meant. But as I found myself in classroom situations in which the atmosphere was fraught with tension and misunderstandings with students — resulting in a less than stellar teaching performance — I thought about the phrase again and realized that I had more questions than I realized.
10 Ways for Teachers to Build Positive Relationships With Students
The best teachers are capable of maximizing the learning potential of each student in their class. They understand that the key to unlocking student potential is by developing positive, respectful relationships with their students beginning on the first day of the school year. Building a trusting relationship with your students can be both challenging and time-consuming.
Why Teacher-Student Relationships Matter
Students spend more than 1,000 hours with their teacher in a typical school year. That’s enough time to build a relationship that could ignite a student’s lifetime love of learning-and it’s enough time for the dynamic to go totally off the rails.