Many graduates of a pedagogical university find it very difficult to cope with the excitement before their first professional lesson. Lack of confidence in oneself and one’s abilities can also lead to sad consequences, for example, the disruption of a completely correctly methodically designed lesson. You need to gather your thoughts and mobilize all your pedagogical potential accumulated over years of study and practice. Because in the eyes of students, an indecisive and timid teacher can become a reason to doubt his competence.
Preparation for your first lesson should begin while still at the university, taking part in various conferences and colloquiums, where students can practice their hand at working with an audience.
It is very easy to get rid of the fears of public speaking by speaking at various kinds of student amateur performances, competitions, or it is simply recommended to prepare more often for seminar classes, where you can demonstrate the skill of public speaking.
So, tomorrow is the first lesson in which you are no longer a listener, but a lecturer. You should be well prepared. Where to begin?
Firstly, in order to give yourself inner confidence, you need to create an impeccable appearance, because Children sometimes, due to lack of tolerance and upbringing, turn any error or shortcoming in the teacher’s image into critical ridicule.
For a man, when choosing clothes, a business suit with a tie without being too pretentious or bright would be appropriate. A woman can choose a skirt or trousers as part of a formal suit. And, naturally, there can be no talk of any mini or deep necklines!
Thirdly, a significant argument in high-quality preparation for the first lesson is impeccable knowledge of the lesson topic.
According to sociological studies conducted among schoolchildren, it turned out that mastery of their subject is much more important than the external or personal characteristics of the teacher. Moreover, demanding teachers command respect because they have an excellent understanding of their subject and always present additional educational material in addition to what is in the textbook.
Thirdly, for a successful debut, it would be a good idea to draw up a plan for the upcoming lesson and learn it, so that excitement does not cause your thoughts to turn into chaos. It is recommended to include in the outline not only the step-by-step delivery of the lesson, but also possible questions and answers from students. View examples lesson notes available on our new website Notes-Lessons.rf. Also, we should not forget about the limited time - only 45 minutes, within which it is necessary to fit all the information.
It would also be useful to prepare additional materials in case there is little time left before the call.
Fourthly, an important factor in the presentation of knowledge is diction. If the teacher does not control his voice as a tool for attracting attention, emphasizing important points with pauses, emotional outbursts, increasing and decreasing the volume of speech, then, in principle, the previous points will be of little use. Correct and appropriate voice accompaniment will help to establish the appropriate mood and discipline in the class and arouse interest in the topic, so the day before the first lesson you need to thoroughly rehearse the main points of teaching. For example, in front of a mirror.
So, my thoughts are in order, I have a fighting spirit and more than enough self-confidence. However, you should pay attention to the details of behavior after entering the classroom. You need to come in without haste and fuss, with a sense of self-esteem, placing a magazine and personal belongings on the table and chair intended especially for the teacher. You should greet the class with a glance or a nod and wait for a response. To get started, you need to introduce yourself and write your name on the board. Then it is best to talk about the manner in which and with what requirements you approach the work.
Any person loves to be called by name, so it would be the right decision to invite children to write their names on pre-prepared cards and place them in front of them on their desks.
You should not allow familiarity and familiarity in relationships with students; in the future, this greatly hinders many from assessing the real knowledge and abilities of students. But you shouldn’t achieve authority through humiliating children or intimidating them.
If you once chose the profession of a teacher and came to work at school, then this is your calling, so walk to your first lesson boldly, with a confident gait. After all, this is just an experience, though one that will be remembered for a lifetime.
The skill of a real teacher who knows how to control an audience consists of little things. How to hold the attention of the class, make the right remark, use your voice to maintain discipline, and not vice versa? Many people come to this through trial and error, but now all pedagogical techniques are described in detail and can be studied. On the eve of Teacher's Day, we bring to your attention an excerpt from a book from which you can learn how to effectively teach others.
Powerful voice
A strong voice is a technique that allows teachers (and coaches) to adopt the skills of educators who know how to “lead the classroom.” The best teachers go into the most unruly classroom, where no one can bring order, force the students to do what they need to do, and bring back those who don't listen (or don't want to listen). In this approach, teachers use five skills.
Conciseness. The fewer words, the more powerful the effect they produce. Excessive talkativeness signals nervousness and indecisiveness, while correctly chosen words indicate preparation and transparency of intentions.
Try to avoid unnecessary words, especially if you are worried. Use simple syntax. One phrase should contain one simple and understandable idea. Due to this, important information will not be lost in the stream of unnecessary phrases.
Don't talk to students at the same time. Show that your words have weight: wait until there is complete silence and only then speak. By ensuring that no one is competing with you for attention, you show that you will decide who students listen to and when. To achieve this goal, you may need to interrupt at the most unexpected place to show that you will not continue until you have everyone's attention.
Let's say you were going to say: "Guys, get out your diaries and write down your homework." If you were not listened to attentively, interrupt your speech mid-sentence (“Guys, get it...”) and, after a pause, continue. If the measured hum and muttering still interfere with work, reduce the phrase to a minimum: “Guys...” During these pauses, do not change your position, thereby making it clear that until silence is established, there will be no continuation.
Don't allow yourself to be drawn into dialogue. Having stated a certain topic, do not be distracted by extraneous conversations. This principle is especially important when you are reprimanding someone.
Suppose David pushes Margaret's chair. You say, "Please, David, take your foot off Margaret's chair." David replies: “She pushes me too!” or “She wanted to take my half!” Many teachers are tempted to continue asking, “Margaret, is that what happened?” or "I don't care what Margaret did there." By doing so, you are supporting David's topic instead of involving him in yours. The best response is: “David, I asked you to remove your foot from Margaret’s chair,” or “Right now, comply with my request and remove your foot from Margaret’s chair.” In this case, the teacher makes it clear that he controls the conversation, and everyone listens only to him.
In the same situation, David may be indignant: “But I didn’t do anything!” Even in this case, it is not recommended to develop this topic. After all, you wouldn't make any comments if you doubted his wrongdoing. So react like this: “I asked you to take your foot off the chair.” There is nothing left to add to these words.
Make eye contact, stay still. Whatever you talk about, in addition to words, you use nonverbal communication. Even with your body you can show that you should be listened to. If you want to emphasize the importance of your words, turn your whole body and face the person you are addressing. Look him in the eyes. Stand up straight or bend slightly (the latter gesture indicates that you are in control and cannot be embarrassed or frightened).
Stand in one place when giving a task, do not gesticulate or be distracted by other things. A person who simultaneously says something and is distracted by some pieces of paper shows that his words are not so important. Therefore, take an official pose, fold your hands behind your back and show that your words, like yourself, are weighty, significant and not at all accidental.
The power of silence. Usually, when a teacher is nervous or afraid that the students will not listen to him, when he feels that he is no longer in control of the class, the first thing he does is try to speak louder and faster. Loud and fast speech signals anxiety, fear and loss of control. Students, realizing that they have gotten the better of you and your emotions, can easily drive you into hysterics, which, of course, is much more interesting than writing a test or solving a problem. A loud voice, paradoxically, increases the noise in the classroom, and it is easier for students to talk in a whisper.
If you want to keep attention, speak more slowly and quietly, although this contradicts your first impulse. Lower your voice. Literally make students listen to you. Be the epitome of poise and equanimity.
One hundred percent
One hundred percent is the number of students who should listen to the teacher in class. "Is this from the realm of science fiction?" - you ask. Not at all. You just need to know some subtleties. The best teachers achieve obedience through positive and, importantly, unobtrusive measures. One hundred percent of attention is achieved through the skillful use of three principles.
Correction should not be intrusive or aggressive. One hundred percent attention is needed in order to so you can teach the lesson. If you make your way to this goal through a thicket of constant comments, you will end up with a vicious circle. Reprimanding one student distracts from the lesson everyone, even those who listen to you. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain discipline without deviating from the topic of the lesson and with minimal loss of time. We offer six types of unobtrusive correction in order of intensification. Try to resort to the first provisions from the list as often as possible.
- Nonverbal correction. Contact the offender with gestures or glances, without being distracted from the topic of the lesson. For example, gesture to the student to lower their hand while you speak.
- Positive group correction. Do not talk again about what the student should not do. Briefly remind for the whole class, what the student should do during the lesson. For example: “Everyone reads in turn; the rest follow the answerer.” Use this skill when you notice that students' attention is about to wander. The sooner you remind, the better.
- Anonymous individual correction. Give brief reminders to the class as described above, but in this case emphasize that not everyone is doing what they need to do. For example: “We wait until two people are silent; everyone should look at the person answering.”
- Individual correction. If you have to address the student personally, make the remark without others noticing. Approach the offender’s desk, bend over and, trying not to distract others, quickly and quietly express your request. Then continue the lesson. For example: “Quentin, I asked everyone to listen to me, and I would like you to do the same.”
- Instant public correction. It is not always possible to make a remark without others noticing. Public correction will allow you to limit the amount of attention to the offender and explain what is expected of him, rather than scolding or telling him what he did wrong. For example: “Quentin, where are you looking? Back desks, don’t yawn!”
- Punishment. If you cannot quickly resolve the situation without resorting to extreme measures, try not to disrupt the lesson. As with other types of correction, punishment should be quickly, unobtrusively and without unnecessary emotions. Ideally, a teacher should have an arsenal of techniques to adequately respond to any disruption and deal with it decisively and without hesitation.
Be firm and calm
- Catch it early. The best teachers instantly notice when a student's eyes begin to wander and stop his bad intentions before he can do anything.
- Gratitude has great power. Simply acknowledging that a student complied with your request not only demonstrates good manners, but also conveys to the entire class that the bad boy did what you asked. (Think about what else you could thank the student for.) Attention is restored, and students perceive you as a calm, well-mannered teacher who has everything under control.
- A means, not an end. Attention is a means, not an end. Students need to listen to you to succeed in their studies. “Look at me, otherwise you won’t understand” - this phrase will say much more than this: “Everyone should look at the teacher. If I ask you for something, you must do it.”
- Universal requirements. Teachers who have perfectly mastered this technique emphasize the universality of the requirements. They express it this way: “I want everyone to sit up straight,” or better yet, “We should all sit up straight.” These phrases emphasize the unity of demands in contrast to this model: “Look at the teacher, Trevor.”
Focus on visible aspects of behavior
- Achieve Maximum Visibility. Find the right way to make discipline violators easy to detect. Do not demand abstract attention from students, but ask them to look at the teacher - this action is easier to track. Better yet, ask to put down your pencil and look at the teacher. Now you are observing the implementation of two instructions, and tracking the first - putting down a pencil - is much easier than noticing whether the whole class is looking at the teacher.
- Show that you're in control. Don't just give directions, but also monitor their implementation, and the students must understand that you are not asleep. Every couple of minutes, look around the class with a calm smile to check that everything is going according to plan. Before asking for anything, be sure to pause and look at the students. Say everything you see: “Thank you, Peter. Thank you, Marissa. Front row, look at me.” By doing this, you emphasize that you are watching everyone and noticing who is doing what, as if you had a “radar.”
The last celebrations of graduates of pedagogical universities have died down, and the bravest students who chose the path of teaching rushed to conquer the heights of teaching. They are young, energetic, full of enthusiasm and maximalism that has not yet gone away. They happily take on complex tasks and try to understand the specifics of the structure of the chosen educational institution.
However, with the beginning of the new school year, the flow of work activity becomes more and more stormy. During this difficult time, a young teacher may make mistakes that can turn into quite big troubles in the future.
1. No need to be afraid of children
Beginning teachers, as a rule, do not have experience communicating with students of different ages. Therefore, it is very important to choose a certain manner of behavior with children in advance. You need to have a clear idea of what kind of teacher you would like to appear in the eyes of your students. There is no need to be shy or babble - speech should be clear with clear accents. You can't hide or look away - eye contact is necessary for more successful networking. Slouching, putting your hands in your pockets, or exhibiting other insecure behavior is discouraged. If students sense your fear from the first lesson, this can be the beginning of a very difficult relationship between students and teacher.
When I came to school, the head teacher of educational work gave exactly this advice: “don’t let them feel your fear.” It sounds a little strange and exaggerated, but it was very useful to me. I clearly remember my first lessons: my heart was pounding, my voice was hoarse, my palms were wet with excitement. Even my own name slipped out of my head. But it was precisely the phrase of an experienced teacher about fear that did not allow me to shamefully desert from the office. I straightened my back, cleared my throat, raised my head, took a deep breath and let the first batch of students into the classroom. They sat down, staring at me with curiosity.
Their eyes carefully scanned my every movement. Children, by the way, are excellent, but very cruel psychologists.
I sighed and began to speak confidently. The analogy about a negotiator with terrorists kept popping into my head - I also politely but adamantly put forward demands. We immediately set the rules: do not test my patience. From three comments about their behavior - the diary is on the table. Two more warnings - I’m writing a comment for parents. If the fun continues in the lesson, then I give a “pair” after the control question about the material covered. And none of the students ever had any complaints if I carried out similar actions in the future - after all, they first agreed with them themselves.
But I didn’t limit myself only to demands - that would be destructive. We came to a compromise: they can always come to me and retake the material, correcting their grades. Moreover, I promised that at any time at school I could explain the material to them if they did not understand something. Demand increased significantly at the end of the quarter, but there were practically no hard feelings.
2. Don't be afraid to make mistakes
A teacher is not a robot or a machine. There is no need to immediately try to convince students that you are completely right and infallible. When introducing yourself in class and reading out the names, apologize to the children in advance for the fact that you may pronounce them incorrectly. Also, you should not take it with hostility if one of your students makes comments to you about teaching the material. Teach them to justify their point of view.
If you bend your line for a long time, you will get a complete parallelepiped.
A young teacher already has enough stress - there is no need to aggravate this by the fact that his reputation will be ruined by someone’s offended recommendations, in the style of “what kind of teacher is he - she doesn’t know anything!” There is no need to stubbornly show students that you are older and know more than them. This will cause a negative and completely natural desire to prove the opposite.
If suddenly someone starts to bully you during a lesson about the material, listen politely to him and ask him to defend his point of view. The child will feel that he is treated as an equal and will no longer have the desire for confrontation.
3. Show respect
You will not be respected if you behave disrespectfully. Do not show disdain or arrogance, do not shout until you are hoarse - you will not be heard. Only clear, polite and reasoned speech, as if you were talking to an adult. Don't forget about wonderful words like "thank you" and "please." You should not put all your requests in the form of an order.
I had Artyom, a fifth grade student. He was a new student who missed the first two weeks of school due to family reasons. Accordingly, when he came to school, it was stressful. For all. Artyom looked larger than his peers, but in mental development he was slightly inferior to the others. He desperately wanted to be accepted by his classmates and teachers. When this did not happen, the poor boy found very radical methods to attract attention to himself: from completely ignoring comments to throwing his vomit at his classmates.
The teachers gave up on him, Artyom’s parents practically settled in the school, and his classmates avoided him more and more diligently. I admit, at first it was also difficult for me to talk to him in class and explain what he could and could not do. Obeying an impulse, I started screaming. But I intuitively realized that this only strengthens the wall of misunderstanding. And I started talking to him like an adult: “Artyom, be so kind as to move to another seat, please.”
Politeness really works wonders. The child obediently stood up and changed seats.
“Artyom, please be a little quieter, I’m very tired and my head hurts,” he nodded and fell silent. Then he began to give me his drawings, he was always polite and was not afraid to come up and ask something. I was the only teacher at school who never called his parents or complained about him to the head teacher or other teachers.
4. Keep your distance
Don't get too close to your students. Immediately after college, as a rule, the age difference is small, especially for high school students. Remember that many of your actions and words can be reinterpreted and passed on to other teachers, administration or parents in a completely distorted form. You cannot close yourself in the office with students; it is better to keep the door open.
Avoiding students is also not a good idea - it can alienate children. Know when to stop and choose the golden mean.
Nowadays, schools are attended by a variety of children from a variety of families. There are also very religious people among them who have their own perception of moral standards. Among my students was Grisha, who was the son of a parishioner of a local church. The boy went to school with a Bible and, instead of repeating material, preferred prayers, which his mother indulged in every possible way. As a result, Grisha consistently got 5-6 deuces in each quarter. But my mother did not believe that prayers worked worse than homework, so, in her opinion, the teachers were to blame for everything.
I also got it for... my collarbones! I didn’t allow myself to wear things that were too revealing, but the boat neckline seemed too deep to Grisha’s mother. She explained her assessment of her son to the school principal as follows: “our new teacher’s smiles, jokes and collarbones kindle a fire in her son’s loins and he cannot concentrate.” The conversation was passed from mouth to mouth, giving rise to a lot of gossip and not very adequate judgments, fraying the nerves considerably.
5. Don’t take everyone’s word for it.
No matter how cute, sweet and innocent the students may be at first glance, you cannot take their word for it. Secure any of your actions with entries in your diary, duplicating them in an electronic journal. Especially when it comes to grade correction. If you identify a problem with a particular child, immediately notify the parents about his “successes.”
In the future, this will protect you from various kinds of claims from parents and school administration.
I had a sixth grade student, Sashenka. A quiet, modest girl who always shyly lowered her eyes when I asked her. For a long time I wrote off unintelligible answers about unfinished homework as hyper-shyness, until my ward began to become impudent right before my eyes. Modesty did not prevent her from talking in class and writing notes, and her notebook remained almost pristinely clean.
By the end of the second quarter, Sashenka had a deuce. About three weeks before the end of the semester, I started scheduling her retakes. Gave additional homework assignments. Having received one B, Sashenka calmed down and continued to do nothing. I waited until the last minute to give the assessment, believing that tomorrow it would definitely come on its own. She never came. And the couple’s mother was very surprised.
The story continued, so we move on to the next point.
6. Keep records
Don't forget to type in All data in an electronic journal, put grades in a diary and a paper journal, do not give children their tests and tests. Keep separate folders for each class and put pieces of paper there. Give them to parents at a parent-teacher meeting.
Sometimes it seems that compliance with points 5 and 6 borders a little on paranoia, because it is very difficult to combine sincerity, enthusiasm, ebullient energy and such bureaucratic control. But in our time, when the teacher is to blame in the most absurd situation, it is better to play it safe once again.
Let's return to the story about Sasha. After my unsuccessful attempts to force the child to study somehow, communicating with the class teacher and talking about how important it is to make efforts, the girl still preferred to do nothing at home and write test papers in transliteration (for example: instead of a simple English word “ milk" wrote the ponderous "moloko"). When all the deadlines were over, I, not without regrets, gave her a D in the quarter.
What started here... The student’s mother turned my third quarter into a complete hell. As it turned out, Sashenka persistently threw out all the “test” papers, tore out pages from the diary, and always told her mother that everything was fine and she could handle everything. It was a complete surprise for the mother that her daughter had a couple in a quarter. With righteous indignation, she went to the director to demand a review of the assessment, my qualifications and consideration of the option of dismissal.
Due to my inexperience, I preferred not to solve problems only with parents, but to negotiate with students personally.
In addition, it was possible to fill out the electronic journal once a week, because it was accessible only in the computer science office, where it was not always convenient to come. Now the school administration demanded a revision of the assessment, fearing for statistics and reputation. Commissions from the Regional Educational Institution began to come to my lessons; the director decided to take control of the educational process. Before entering the school, in front of all the students, I had to submit my lesson plans, written down to the smallest detail, for her to check. I paid in full for my cool attitude towards the bureaucracy.
I don’t remember how many valerian tablets I took, but it taught me to scrupulously collect every piece of paper with a vocabulary dictation, every notebook with tests, and put all the marks in the electronic journal, even those written in pencil in the journal. I had to develop immunity to the insults of students who had to explain to their parents why the “2 in pencil” was in the electronic journal.
I graduated from the pedagogical university only 3 years ago and I have very fresh memories of my first year of teaching. If someone had told me about these simple rules, I would have been able to avoid many problems, which would have made the start of my teaching life much easier.
While observing all these rules, I sincerely wish you not to overdo it and maintain your love for teaching. Do not become hard-hearted ahead of time; children at all times need those who can instill a love of knowledge and teach them the basic skills of ethical behavior. Good luck!
For a child, studying at school is not only about gaining knowledge, but also about the experience of socialization in a group of peers and adults - teachers. Relationships between people are very multifaceted, so it is not surprising that a student may encounter negative manifestations from a teacher: pickiness or even hostility.
How to differentiate between prejudice and demandingness
Excessive demands are not always a manifestation of the teacher’s biased attitude
As a rule, parents learn about problems in the relationship between the teacher and their child from the lips of the child. And, of course, he brings his subjective assessments and emotions into the story, often drawing the line: “She (he) doesn’t love me and is nagging me.” In this situation, it is difficult for moms and dads to figure out whether this state of affairs is an objective reality or the result of the student’s suspiciousness or imagination. In addition, many children perceive the teacher’s demandingness as a manifestation of a biased attitude. Therefore, it is very important for parents to get a correct picture of the existing relationship. For this:
- talk with your child more often about topics related to school life - this way it will become clear where the truth is and where the fantasies are;
- pay attention to the child’s performance in the subject taught by the teacher who is making complaints about your student (if the grades have dropped sharply, then work with the child or hire a tutor, then you can draw a conclusion about the objectivity of grading);
- visit the school, talk with teachers and the class teacher, but do it not “about”, but as a monitoring of progress (neither the child nor the teachers need to know the real reasons for the visit to the educational institution).
This way you will be able to understand what kind of relationship your student has with teachers and students. And also find out whether the teacher is really biased towards the child, or is simply demanding regarding the quality of knowledge.
How to psychologically adjust a child
Trust is the basis of a relationship with a child
Relationships between people are multifaceted, so it is not surprising that some people like them and others don’t. Interpersonal relationships between teacher and students are no exception. A teacher is a person like everyone else, so he can have likes and dislikes. Some teachers like active, inquisitive students, while others like disciplined quiet ones. Of course, a professional teacher knows how to hide his emotions, but sometimes exceptions happen. In this case, a conflict situation arises with three participants:
- student;
- teacher;
- parents of the student.
The task of the latter is to find a way out of the situation with minimal losses for the emotional health of the emerging personality. Therefore, it is very important to properly set up the child in this particular situation:
- Tell your child how much you love him more often - the child should be sure that he is accepted and loved by those closest to him;
- Explain that any child, even if he is still small, is also a person, and no one has the right to insult, ridicule or humiliate him;
- Analyze the conflict situation with maximum objectivity - regardless of who was wrong, explain to the offspring why such behavior is unacceptable;
- Try, together with your child, to outline a strategy for behavior in case the teacher finds fault or allows insults;
- Outline a plan for further joint actions (conversation with the teacher, director, moving to another class or school) to resolve the current situation.
How can you get rid of prejudice?
Parents should communicate with teachers regularly
Nagging and prejudice on the part of the teacher, as a rule, do not go away on their own, so parents need to take active measures to resolve the conflict. There are several ways:
- open conversation with the teacher;
- conversation with representatives of the administration (director, head teachers);
- transferring a student to another class or school;
- public coverage of the problem in the media.
Let's look at each of them. The simplest and most correct way out is to talk to the teacher. Having determined the reasons why the teacher disliked the child, you can find a joint way out of the conflict situation. We’ll look at how to properly plan a conversation with a teacher a little later.
If the teacher does not agree to a conversation or does not consider it necessary to change his attitude towards the child, then you should contact the director or head teacher - perhaps they will have more compelling arguments convincing the teacher to reconsider his behavior.
This is interesting! Every year, about 20% of children transfer to other schools due to nagging from teachers.
When the conflict has gone on for too long, and the teacher’s attitude has a negative impact on the psychological and emotional state of the student, it makes sense to transfer the child to another class or school. However, you should not see this method as a panacea for any difficulties - in your child’s life there will be many meetings with inconvenient or conflicting people, so it is not recommended to create greenhouse conditions for him in childhood.
If a teacher not only allows himself to publicly insult, but also uses physical force against a child, and there is confirmation of this, then such flagrant violations of children’s rights should be covered in the media with the involvement of social services and law enforcement agencies.
How to build a conversation with a teacher correctly
Peaceful conflict resolution is the main goal of a conversation with a teacher
Knowing about the problem in the relationship between a student and a teacher only from a child, it is impossible to form a complete opinion about the reasons for the nagging on the part of the teacher. Therefore, the best solution would be to talk to the teacher. However, you need to prepare for the conversation and conduct it in such a way as not to aggravate the situation. So, going to talk with the teacher:
- Try to make an appointment in person, not through the school administration.
- Choose the right time. It is best if it is after school, but not at the end of the working day.
- It is advisable that the meeting take place one-on-one, but within the walls of the school (the best option is an office; serious conversations in the corridor are taboo).
- Try to make it clear to the teacher that you are not going to incriminate or accuse him of anything.
- Begin the conversation by stating your desired outcome (“I would like our conversation to lead to positive changes in my relationship with my son/daughter”).
- Be sure to stipulate the fact that you recognize some of your child’s shortcomings, and gently guide the conversation towards the recognition that everyone has the right to make a mistake (in case your child is really guilty of something).
- Next, you should directly ask the question about the reasons for your child’s dissatisfaction. Perhaps in this way the teacher “takes revenge” for some actions towards him on the part of the student (for example, insult).
- Depending on the answer received, the conversation can go in two directions: mutual understanding and recognition on the part of the teacher of his mistakes, or anger due to your attempt to convict the teacher of an unprofessional attitude towards children.
- In any case, you need to end the conversation by thanking them for their time.
Depending on what results you can achieve by talking with the teacher, it will be easier to outline a plan for further action.
The child must understand that all his teachers are also people who in some situations may behave incorrectly. At the same time, knowing this is useful not only for children, but also for their parents, since when controversial situations arise, adults should get together and discuss among themselves why such a situation arose and what needs to be done to make future classroom work comfortable for everyone.
The child needs to be taught that it is not worth arguing with the teacher, but it is necessary to understand the difference between normal behavior and bad behavior and that this should be reported at home. There are several common situations that you should warn your child about so that he knows what the teacher has the right to do and what he does not.
Insulting children
Insults are the first thing a teacher has no right to do towards a student. There is no need to talk about blatant insults and obscene language, because such cases are egregious and teachers should be removed from work immediately. Fortunately, it is almost impossible to find such teachers today.
Most often, teachers try to indirectly insult the child, for example, by comparing him with lower grades or in every possible way hinting at his low mental abilities. Another common quote that is found in many schools is: “You are the worst class I have ever had.”
All these actions of the teacher are unprofessional and should be resolved as soon as possible, and there is no point in even discussing whether the teacher has the right to yell at the child.
Physical contact with students
There is no problem if the teacher simply encourages and gently touches the child's back or shoulder. This way he can draw attention to himself or correct the child’s posture.
But slaps and rough pushes go beyond the boundaries of pedagogical professionalism and violate any rules of conduct with students. Such behavior should be stopped by communicating with the management of the school institution so that they explain to the teacher what the teacher should not do.
Punishments by action
It is important to explain to the child that teachers are prohibited from punishing him in any way by forcing him to do anything if it does not relate to his direct learning.
Being kicked out of the classroom, being put in a corner, being forced to stand for the entire lesson - all these are violations of current legislation, not to mention being forced to wash the office or perform some other actions that are not the child’s responsibilities as a student.
Ban on going to the toilet
According to the rules, there is no difference in the reason why a child asks to go to the toilet - for real need or, for example, to drink water. Forcing children to endure until the next break is outrageous, as it harms their body, and in addition, humiliates them in front of their peers.
The practice of “asking to go to the toilet” itself is quite strange and is mainly found only among non-professional teachers. As a result, such training leads to the fact that people, growing up, ask permission to leave during the process of conducting business training or other training courses.
Ignoring glaring conflicts or open bullying
Among children, aggression is a fairly common phenomenon, and most often it is directed from the group towards one student. This includes acts of physical aggression, when children hit each other with their hands or various objects, and targeted moral bullying of a child.
If the teacher does not prevent this in any way, although the child explained to him the current situation or it even happened before his eyes, you need to urgently have a conversation with such a teacher and talk about his professionalism.
Seizure of personal belongings
Today in schools there are often situations where teachers take away personal belongings from children, and, first of all, this applies to mobile phones, headphones and all kinds of toys. In some cases, they refuse to give things back at all, even after the end of the lesson, stating that they will only be returned to the parents.
All this is a direct violation of current legislation, which prohibits people from taking other people's things, despite the objections of their owner. And teachers are not considered an exception to this rule.
Solving the shortage of some things at the expense of children
In schools today there are situations related to the lack of one or another equipment. Moreover, teachers in such situations most often try to solve the problems of some children at the expense of others.
Appearance assessment
Children constantly dress pretentiously and try to stand out from the majority, because in their class alone there can be several dozen people, and in addition to this, they also communicate with parallel ones, so they want to attract attention in every possible way, at least with their appearance.
Teachers should not give any negative assessment to children, much less ridicule them for their tastes in clothing, hairstyle or any other elements of appearance. Of course, everyone has their own preferences and ideas about beauty, but children do not need to know them, and are often even harmful.
Conversations about wealth
All children should be equal to the teacher, regardless of their behavior or income. The teacher should not single out certain students and note the wealth of their family in a conversation with them. This is especially true in situations where the child’s parents cannot pay for an excursion or some other event, and the teacher condemns him for this.
Each family has its own financial capabilities, and whether a child attends paid events or skips them is a voluntary choice of the parents, and the child definitely has nothing to do with it. Not to mention that family matters are absolutely none of the teachers' business.
Dividing children by gender
In domestic practice, it is common to create separate rules for boys and girls. For example, girls are often condemned for their sloppy writing, noting that this is a feminine trait. And instead of reassuring crying boys, they may be told disparagingly that men don’t cry.
All these factors do not depend on gender in any way, and the teacher must understand this. The only indicator that a teacher can mark depending on gender is the results of exercises in physical education, since different standards apply there.
Involvement in economic work
A child is a student who attends school with one goal: to absorb knowledge. The teacher cannot involve him in carrying things, washing the board, cleaning the office or any other work if the child himself does not agree to help him.
Some of these issues are controversial and compromise can indeed be found. For example, you can teach children to have order and teach them to keep track of their place by periodically forming groups to clean the classroom. But the teacher should not make all these decisions on his own. First, they should be agreed upon with parents at the next meeting.
What should a teacher do?
A professional teacher has strict responsibilities which he must do:
- create a program with useful lessons;
- check student work as necessary;
- to cultivate useful and correct qualities in children;
- monitor the health of each student, creating appropriate conditions in the office, monitoring the posture of each student, as well as providing timely medical assistance as necessary (call an ambulance or send to a medical center);
- observe ethics.
The last point includes all the questions listed above. Many teachers believe that teaching ethics is a vague concept, but this is not so, and every teacher must follow certain rules so that children's education is truly high-quality and useful for their lives.