No, this post is not about school. And yet it is. All of us have been students and most probably still are. We never stop learning and we never stop learning and being inspired by what surrounds us. We all have been teachers too. In one way or the other. Some of us more than others but I bet that if you think about it you will come up with things that you taught someone at some point, no matter how old you are.
Life is a classroom. We all are students and teachers at the same time. Everything we do, everything we observe is a lesson in itself. While some of us decide to make this their “real life” occupation, others are happy to just follow another path, maybe unaware that there’s still a teacher inside of them. Only when we become parents we realize that it’s been a part of us anyway.
What, though, makes a good teacher? What makes the difference between a teacher students like to listen to and want to give their very best for and a teacher everyone wants to walk out of?
I think it’s simple. It’s the same ingredient you need as a parent too:
I couldn’t agree more with Dr Debbie Silver.
It’s the quote most probably all of us have heard: Do unto others what you would have them do unto you. Respect and like your students and they will respect and like you.
I often wonder why this is so hard.
I often wonder why so many parents seem to struggle with this so much. How can it be that we request respect and also affection if we are giving it back or paying it forward?
Sometimes I watch parents and how they treat their kids. It bugs me, the lack of respect. I do get that dealing with a toddler is not always easy. Hey, I’ve been there too. Twice! And yet, how can you teach them to respect you if you don’t show respect to them and their needs too. How can you demand their respect if you don’t treat them with respect?
It doesn’t mean that they can do whatever they please to do. Not at all. It’s the way we interact that makes a difference. If you have a disrespectful approach, how should the child learn to behave differently.
Kids are a mirror of what they see, what surrounds them.
If you want them to be respectful people than show them how it’s done. No matter if you are a teacher or a parent.
Very well said. children are always watching and learning. Parents are the first and most important instructors of how people should be treated and life handled. Teachers are the second and I suppose that is a difficult place to be. When students come into a classroom having learned from Mom and Dad that you interact by being rude and vulgar, now the teacher has the job of dealing with it the best way they can. Courtesy and respect are learned behaviours, so there is always hope. I am rambling!!
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Yep…
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Awesome quote! And you are so right! We harvest what we sow! Great input, Sandra!
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Thanks, Erika… Now I’m thinking if I should have included other people too… You know: Takes a village to rise a child…
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That is true…. there is so much influence around.
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So well expressed, Sandra. Nice post. Respect matters ! ❤️
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I believe in that very much. Thanks, Van ❤️
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Mutual respect is the way to reach kids, from the things to the bigger ones and to remember that kids also need private time and life without parents, who can’t let them a little alone. How can kids learn to be independent humans without to learn being alone sometimes?
Right here is the biggest difference between US and Europe.
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Most probably yes.
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I like you!
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I like you too 🙂
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So very true. We need to remember kids have feelings too!
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Yup
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“We all are students and teachers at the same time.”
Accepting this would lead to a life of learning and conveying your knowledge to others.
It is a privilege and responsibility to have such a powerful tool in our hands.
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Indeed, in an equally proportion…
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Equal…
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