Rafe Esquith
May 13th, 2009Rafe has two books. There Are No Shortcuts and Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire. In his books he writes about several things that have made his students successful. I have to admit that when I first started to read these books, I was put off by the idea that if you don’t devote every waking minute, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to your students, then you are not doing everything you can. But as I read further, I found a few things that were worth reflecting on.
- Most classrooms are managed by fear. The teacher is afraid of looking bad, not being liked, not being listened to, not having their students achieve the way they should, or of losing control.
- The students are even more afraid of being scolded, humiliated, getting bad grades, or facing their parents.
- Teachers should replace fear with trust. Create an environment where the students can trust the teacher and visa versa.
- Be dependable. If you say you are going to do a project you must follow through. If you are not you lose the trust the students have in you.
- Practice logical discipline. The punishment should fit the crime. If a student is not following directions they should not be able to continue with the project.
- Be a role model. Your students are watching you all the time. Make sure what you are modeling sends the message that you wish to send. Some of our actions send the message that our students or our lessons are not the priority. If they are not our priority why should they be our students’?
- If you become angry over the little things, the bigger issues are never addressed. Be careful what you choose to discipline. Make sure what you say and do is getting your message across.
- The teacher may lead the class, but the students determine if a class is outstanding or mediocre.
I’d like to hear what you have to say about some of these ideas. Is there a time when you felt that you accomplished one of these ideas? Or, maybe one of these practices is something you would like to try more of. Let me know what you think.
