We have all known teachers who are “student whisperers.”
They walk down the hall and students voluntarily say hello to them. The kid who
drives everyone nuts, including other students, acts like a mini-Einstein in the
student whisperer’s classroom. You even overhear students of their own volition
saying how great the teacher is. At the
lunch table, when every single teacher is venting their frustration about a
student’s behavior, the whisperer balks and is genuinely shocked that Larry
Looney Tune has done something wrong. The influence of the student whisperer is
not to be denied.
The interesting thing about these teachers is that, in my
experience, there is nothing complicated about what they are doing. Usually
these are the teachers that know the kids, and have taken time to build a
relationship with them. The link below is to a blog about the 2x10 Strategy
(thank you Beth Antoine for finding and sharing this gem!). Basically, you
choose one of your most difficult students and spend 2 minutes a day for 10
days just talking to him/her. The key is that you are not teaching or
instructing during that time – you are simply having a 2 minute conversation. I
like this because it creates a structure for something that feels a little
unstructured. For some teachers, unstructured time with students is super fun
and a welcome change from the routine of the day. However, others feel nervous
or uncomfortable with this aspect of teaching.
The student whisperers are already using the 2x10 Strategy
and then some. They do it naturally. Great teaching requires relationship
building. Now it certainly necessitates more than that. The absolute best
teachers I have ever known are student whisperers AND experts in the
pedagogical aspect of their craft. Still, relationships are the foundation and
everything else should come after.
I encourage everyone to try the 2x10 Strategy in the coming
weeks. Choose just one student and see what happens. I am going to try it
myself by choosing a few repeat “guests” and making sure to get 2 minutes a day
with them either in the hall, the cafeteria, or my office.
Please share your thoughts on this topic, and definitely
share the results of utilizing the strategy in your room.
I could not agree with this concept more!!! Educators are in the relationship business. Getting to know the students that are on our campus is a crucial part of the job we do. We are not only shaping the minds of the future through the course work the students are taking, but also helping them navigate the many decisions they face on a daily basis. This can truly be done when a since of trust has been reached through relationship building.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I hear over and over again from industry is that our students lack “soft skills.” They don’t know how to look people in the eye, shake a hand, communicate clearly, etc. A few years ago, I started the school year off with the goal of greeting each student at the beginning of each period with a smile, handshake, and by name. I even ended each period by holding the door and wishing my students a good day, but I made it personal. I wanted to demonstrate how important “soft skills” were but amazing things began to happen. Kids began to look me in the eye, respond back, take their ear phones out of their ears, put their phones away, and start communicating. When I began to show the kids that I cared about them as people, things in my classroom began to change too. Students became vested in their work and cared about the product that they were producing. The relationships that were built extended beyond the classroom as my family attended their extracurricular activities to cheer for them, I went through their line at Winn-Dixie, or supported their students organization’s fundraiser. I testify that building a rapport with students is crucial and if you haven’t “bought in,” you must! The rewards are totally worth it!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Laura on the importance of developing positive relations with students as a means of modeling appropriate, professional relationships. For many, they are not familiar with the appropriate means of relating to another human being in a positive manner that would be acceptable in a collegiate or professional atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteI also look at building relations as developing an effective team in the classroom. Learning is a team effort and a teacher has to lead the development of the team. Essentially, you have to sell them on the need to join with you in the learning process. And, you have to sell them that everyone else in the room is worth their respect and effort too. I spend the first two weeks of each school year trying to build class dynamics, which then are the key to a successful collaborative classroom. We do this simply by asking "about-you" or silly questions at the beginning of each class, such as "what wild animal would you adopt as a pet?" or "what is the worst injury you have ever had?" This is most important with the most difficult students because their attitude can quickly derail a class activity or poison a class discussion. It is important to continue to do things like this during the year, like asking what students did over a long weekend. While you lost time covering content, the dynamics that are built go a longer way in ensuring learning success.