The teaching profession is much more than just a job. As a teacher, you are in a powerful position to influence the next generation and create lasting memories that will inspire your students for life. We all have a favorite teacher or one that made us love a certain subject. If you aspire to be such a teacher, here are some ways to stand out and make a difference.
Be Yourself
When we think back on our most memorable teachers, they most likely had defining factors like a funny hairstyle, an interesting sense of fashion, or a strong passion for the arts. Embracing who you are and bringing your personality into the classroom allows your students to see you as more than just an authority figure. This will help them connect with you as well.
In today’s society, young people can feel pressured to pretend to be someone other than their true selves. You do not have to be the ‘wacky teacher’ or someone completely outrageous to model confidence and self-acceptance. By simply being yourself, you can encourage your students to be proud of who they are and be proud of their talents and abilities.
See the Individuals
Part of everyone being unique is that the students in your class may have a mix of strengths. Some may be better in languages while others in logic-based subjects like science and mathematics. Viewing your students as individuals instead of the class as a single unit will enable you to cater your teaching plan to meet every student’s needs.
Seeing your students as separate people allows you to get to know them better. Most of the time, students are disruptive and act out in school due to underlying factors. By learning more about your students, you can help to address their issues (even if they occur outside of school) and improve your classroom management ability.
People feel more motivated when they are offered the opportunity to express themselves and show others how they do things their way. This is even more applicable for children and youth. When you allow room for your students to grow and blossom within the scope of their study, you allow them to gain purpose and direction in their learning journey.
Make Learning Fun
Discipline may be a standard trait of the school system, but it does not have to be the only one. With all the pressure and rules that students experience in school, they can easily forget that learning should be enjoyable. Finding ways to make your lessons fun can help to engage your students and enhance their knowledge retention.
Making learning fun is more than telling jokes in class. It is essentially about making real-world connections to what they are learning. For example, a lesson about division can be turned into an exercise where classmates have to share stickers equally. When your students see that this information is useful, they are more likely to be excited.
Each student learns differently. Some students learn well from reading while others react better to visual aids. For most youth, hands-on experience is the best way to learn. Although rote learning may check off your program needs, it can produce inferior results. Therefore, a good teacher knows how to use a variety of teaching techniques to keep things interesting
Set Up For Success
Nobody likes to fail. It is great to challenge your students, but setting the bar too high may cause them to become discouraged. Enabling your students to meet multiple smaller milestones will build up their confidence and allow them to confront larger obstacles. When you introduce new problems, assign simpler ones as well to keep students from feeling overwhelmed.
Modern society is evolving and many skills that are not traditionally valued in the classroom, such as whimsy and creativity, may prove essential for your student’s future success. Try to find outlets and opportunities for each of them based on their strengths. It is important to recognize progress and achievement, even for students that did not come in at the top of the class.
Make Memories
Finally, create some memories with your students. The school year can fly by quickly and you will have a new class before you know it. Take more than just the typical group photograph when you go on field trips. Candid shots retain the most personality and can bring back fond memories. You could even enlist a student to be the honorary photographer for the day.
An elementary school yearbook or a high school yearbook is a wonderful way to preserve the memories of your class. There are now websites where you can easily create your own yearbook online. You can even get a bulk discount so you could gift a yearbook to each of your students—that will definitely ensure that they will not forget you!
Teaching is a highly rewarding career. To be a memorable teacher, connect with your students and help them to grow. By instilling your students with confidence and a love of learning, you can set them up for success as they enter the adult world.