What the students think....

The most interesting aspect of this week’s look at practice and ‘good teaching’ for me was the juxtaposition between what students and teachers felt. I interviewed a kindergarten teacher at my placement that has been teaching for nearly 40 years. She listed everything she felt encompassed a good teacher: “enthusiasm, passion, dedication, organization, content knowledge, timing, caring, confidence, and (above all) calmness.” Although she is a kindergarten teacher, she feels that these components span far past kindergarten and help make lessons work in any environment. A first grade teacher I interviewed focused on communication skills as a fundamental aspect of a great teacher.

Contrary to these thoughts, sixth graders at Hillcrest had a different view. Students’ thoughts concentrated on some musical aspects of teaching, like being able to play music on the piano and giving directions about starting points in chorus music. Their answers also focused on classroom management related skills, including “being able to take charge,” enforcing and following school rules, and not screaming (one student even replied “strict”). When another student heard this she replied, “not strict, but able to understand students.”

Aside from the “not screaming” answers, I was generally surprised by these comments. There is a strong contrast between the focus on “passion, enthusiasm, and dedication,” as stated by the kindergarten teacher, and the behavior-directed comments of the sixth grade students. It is interesting (and sort of scary) that when thinking of a good teacher, students may have a tendency to think of a teacher that controls their learning instead of one that encourages creativity and lets them be leaders in their learning.