Personal Statement : Teacher Student Relationships

The article, Relationship Building with Teacher Colleagues by Jordan Catapano discusses the importance of spending time building relationships with

However, within the teaching role, there must be a clear boundary regarding ‘the relationship’. You are the leader, the one with the knowledge of the subject matter. Therefore, you should be ready to teach all students, and become involved in their ‘study life’ whilst maintaining and appropriate distance from their ‘out of study life’.

In today’s society it is hard to be a teacher; especially, in a secular school. The students in this setting need Christian teachers more than anything. The children today need to have a teacher that has biblical values and understands just how important it is to live by these values. Before stepping foot into a classroom, a teacher really needs to understand that each child’s worldview will make a difference as to how the teacher leads her instruction and how the students processes the instruction that is given to them. We are there to encourage our students to take a good look at them self and really examine what they believe their worldview is. This being said, we really need to understand what a worldview is, why integrating our worldview into the classroom is so important, what it really means when someone talk about integrating, and how a teacher can begin to develop worldview integrative activities in a secular and Christian school environment.

According to M. Ryan (2013) “Australian Catholic School teachers would be encouraged to teach as Jesus did” (p.69). This approach focussed on a student’s own personal experiences and the collaboration of those experiences with the relation to the Christian way of life. Lessons were conducted in an environment of concern and care with some Catholic Schools

It is the will of God that His children bring into fruition, sustain, and promote successful Christian schools. In order to carry out this mission, it is essentially important that the foundations be laid upon the Eternal Rock, His Word, and His spiritual principles. Only such a foundation guarantees a solid and firm structure which will withstand all present trials and endure all future endeavors and uncertainties. Only upon such a foundation can the Christians rest reassured that God’s authority will be the properly exercised, His knowledge communicated effectively, and His love transmitted with compassion to the pupils. As per Dr. Combee’s words,“God has a plan for victory in education through the truth He has revealed to us about human nature. “ (pg. 174) The sinful human nature does desperately need God and His principles, to both build a strong character and to construct academic stature.

This emphasizes the importance of proper teacher education, objectivity, and transparency. In order to effectively teach this class, instructors must have a general knowledge of the religions highlighted in the course. This could be achieved by partnering with the Wake Forest Divinity School. This relationship would allow high school teachers to learn about teaching religion objectively while also giving them background knowledge and a mentor to contact if questions should arise. In order to alleviate parental concerns, educators should be transparent about course material. Also, teachers should be informed of the laws that delineate the appropriate way to teach religion in public high schools. Overall, when approached academically, it is the duty of educators to inform students about topics that affect the community, such as

When taking into consideration the fact that all of mankind was created in the image of God, the way you interact with others and the way we conduct ourselves in any situation is of significant importance. “The standard is that a believer should conduct his life in this earthly world by the principles God has bestowed upon him in the heavenly world.” (Towns, 2007) This also becomes especially important when our profession is in the education field. Regardless of the title you hold within the education field the role you play in the student’s life can be significant. Therefore, it is our responsibility to be mindful of the fact that all mankind was created in His image so that our interactions, whether it be with our peers, the student’s parents or our students themselves, we are at our best.

I believe that the religious atmosphere, or culture, of a learning environment is crucial for the success of the learners. “The atmosphere and relationships in the school are as much the focus of the Catholic school as is the formal religious education.” (Church Document Quotes) The importance of my root belief, Make God known, loved and served, encompasses so many aspects of the culture for learning. If we, as school leaders, along with our teachers and students are always making God known, loved and served, it means that we are being respectful of one another. By having the foundation set for loving and respecting self, others and the world, we ensure that

I have always developed a strong rapport with not only my own students but with students outside of my classes, with several students asking if they can transfer into my classes. I try to have an understanding of what students are interested in and adapt that knowledge for the benefit of my students’ learning. I value their questions and respond to them to the best of my ability either immediately or as soon as I had an appropriate answer. I believe in challenging and extending my

The influence of the student and teacher becomes extremely important for a successful relationship. A limited relationship between students and teacher can be helpful for students in learning. The tension students hold in the classroom will

Elementary school teachers are constantly looking for a way to do things better. How can I engage my students in my instruction? How can I make their learning purposeful to their lives? How can I be more efficient in my planning and effective in my teaching? The Daily 5, a reading instruction program created by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, claims to be the answers to these questions. Boushey and Moser (2012) created the program after teaching and observing others’ literacy blocks. The program is said to “engage students, [and] also teach and promote self-independence on tasks” so that the classroom teacher can attend to individual students’ needs (LaShomb, 2011, p. 1). Boushey and Moser (2006) claim that not only does the program allow students to become self-sufficient learners, but it also engages them in meaningful literature daily.

The article focused on the views of three religious studies faculty teaching at large public universities in the Southern United States. They compared their institutions within the group and with other institutions from different regions of the United States. Due to an overwhelming Christian character of their institutions became the common theme as they we conceptualized their challenges in teaching. Their classrooms were made up of predominantly Christian students who carry with them their own religious perspectives and a set of associated expectations about what they should learn. Even when their students

The article, “Creating Birds of Similar Feathers” concerns, issues and topics related to the importance of the teacher-student relationships (TSRs) since it increases students’ performance in class. Therefore, this article relates to teaching and learning because having a good teacher-student relationship is one of the main ingredients in making a classroom well-organized, student-friendly, and comfortable. Without this, teachers would experience difficulty in teaching his or her students as well as for students to learn a lesson if there is lack of communication. From this article, the two points that I found important to the topic are 1) Students learn best and score higher when proper communication and relationship is applied in class; and 2) Teachers should start the first day of class through social activities.

As Christian educators, we are called to promote and support learning in those areas. True teaching is a sharing of realities, likening the teaching process and weaving connections between their teachings and understandings themselves and the world around them. If we do not make connections for the students to the world around them, many times these precious gifts graced upon them will be overlooked or passed by because the young minds may not be able to recognize them. Some areas of observation might be seen as open doors to see or perceive and understand something of God and His motion as reflected through the created world and the Bible. Other areas might be seen as open doors to respond, apply, express and practice in ways that are consistent with biblical values. When these areas are discovered and embraced, many times they can address the major developmental needs in the spiritual, intellectual, physical, social, and emotional realms of the student’s life. Identifying these areas is helping the students begin their walk with the Lord and their own calling.

Research conducted among secondary or high school levels were geared more toward the teacher’s perception of their own relationship with students instead of viewing from the student point of view. Four aspects were identified by teachers to be the most beneficial characteristics of good student teacher relationships: humor, respect, effort, and ease of communication with teacher (Wilkins, 2014). Past studies have identified that teachers like to maintain a strictly professional relationship with students in order to maintain discipline, to help students become responsible, and help build their maturity. Teachers refused to invest effort into helping students that did not actively participate in the classroom. Ironically, the research also revealed that teachers express a strong need to feel cared for by their students. Inversely, teachers found it difficult to show positive emotions toward students that exhibit negative behaviors toward the