Respect in the Classroom.

"The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil."    -Ralph Waldo Emerson

As "teachers in training," it is crucial that we respect our students in order that they may respect us back.  Many years ago, schools and teachers were much more strict.  My parents constantly tell stories of their previous elementary school teachers who would hit students' heads with rulers, or slam clipboards on their desks if they were not paying attention.  It was brutal.  These teachers wanted respect, but what they did instead was instill a sense of fear in their students.  I am sure more than half of those students hardly said a word or answered a question in class because they were too afraid of the repercussions of a "bad" answer.  Obviously, education and teaching has come a long way in the past thirty years.  Today, teachers learn that one of the best ways for a child to learn is if that child has respect for his or her teacher.  So how do we, as the teacher, instill a sense of respect in our students?  Well, as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, we have to show them that we respect them back.  It seems simple, but it is a lot harder than one might think.  To respect each and every one of our students, we must be fair.  That is the sole way to earn respect from the students.  We, as teachers, cannot act prejudice or discriminate against any student.  That means we need to be impartial with our grading, and be sure to have the same expectations for each student.  We should hold each student accountable for their actions, and discipline each child the same way.  These are all unbiased actions a teacher can practice.  If these things are done, students will most likely show respect not only to you as the teacher, but also to their fellow classmates.  Although we have come a far way since the 1970s, education and teaching still has a long way to go.  There will never be a perfect way to correctly teach children, but a good place to start is to respect the students.