With another year as an ALT quickly drawing to an end, I've been thinking about this a lot. So I've put together a long, (pretentious probably) list I originally posted on Facebook. Things my students have taught me: That my perceptions of what a happy and satisfying life is, only apply to me. So that when a student says their dream is to work in a retail job/eventually own a retail store, and they genuinely, passionately want that dream. Thinking "but you can do so much more/be so much better." Is insulting. Instead, think "okay, how can I help you be prepared to achieve that dream?" That students who misbehave do so for a reason; and once you understand that reason it's easier to be sympathetic to the behaviour. Passing or failing a test isn't always the most pressing concern in your students lives, and berating them for a lack of effort in a class when unbeknownst to you their world is falling apart around them; is only adding to their anger and frustrations, and will only push them to misbehave more. That praising someone can have a huge impact on their lives. Especially when you are young. Grades are not the only measure of success; your students have individual talents and strengths in your subject, and praising them/noticing them, will always improve their confidence, self worth and sense of belonging in the classroom. That life isn't fair, and it isn't just. Some students will be forced to deal with stuff that no child ever should. Because life isn't fair, your classroom should be. That being fair does not mean treating everyone the same. Being fair is giving students the attention and assistance they need, and how much that is, is different for every child. That I'm not smarter than my students. That I'm not better than my students. That all I have over my students is 13 more years of being alive. That puberty is hard, and growing up is harder. The stuff that doesn't matter as an adult, was my whole world as a teenager. It's easy to be frustrated by students who refuse to take class work seriously, who care more about what the opposite sex thinks about them and less about their futures. But it's also so easy to forget at 28, what it felt like to be 13. That true learning happens in small, almost magical moments. That students are the best teachers. That a teacher who stands in front of the class, and makes every lesson about what they know, what they have to say, and what they want to do; is a narcissist. A classroom should be a democracy, not a dictatorship. The most effective lessons happen when you give students control. Let them choose the topic. Let them choose the project. Let them work together. Let them express themselves. Be there to guide them. Encourage them to push themselves further. Encourage them to help each other. Teaching and learning is a collaborative effort.
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