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Connecting with students

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Unless you are successful in connecting with students at least to some extent, you may have little success when trying to instruct them as well. The trick, I think is to try and relate to the kids somewhat. Try to collect a little data, as they say, on adolescent and teenage pop-culture. Maybe you can bring up a topic completely unrelated to school, or, if it seems to be going in that direction already, let them perhaps go on a little about whatever they are talking about before class begins. Maybe not right away, but soon try to “fit in” to some of their conversations.

I already know what you are thinking: “but that takes away from our class time”—right? Well, let me ask you this: would you rather have a longer class unable to reach your goals of connecting with students, no matter how hard you try during the lesson, or would you like your students to like you—think of you as “hip” or whatever they call it these days, and pay more attention in class? Of course, you would prefer the latter. So to sacrifice a few minutes of class time before the lesson begins can help you in connecting with students. What are you sacrificing, really, if your students will pay better attention and have more of a respect treat you like family as well as a connection to you as their instructor?

• Another method is to be funny:

Try to joke around with your students, think of yourself as an educational entertainer.

When I was in the sixth grade I had a teacher who we all loved, he was funny and his class was the first of the day—which put all of us in a better mood for sure. One of the things he did was create nicknames for many of the kids in class. He said funny things and was very witty. He got into our conversations and put in his own, silly remarks. By the time he asked the class to settle down and read their books or begin the discussion we all had smiles on our faces.

This is the kind of teacher I aspire to be. Really connecting with students by learning their language and, despite the generation gap, be able to understand better where they are coming from.

• You want to know them as individually as possible:

It is very important for you, when trying connecting with students, to become as familiar with their circumstances as possible.

I once had a professor who would come to class early (as many of us also did) and even if it cut a bit into lecture time, that was ok. He would walk around the room and ask about personal stuff like “how’s you mom?” if someone’s mother had been sick. Or, “How are you doing, Katie?” in the very least. He went around using everyone’s name and really showing genuine interest in him or her.

In fact, the only students who would leave class on time—at those times when the lecture was still going—were those who had to go to their next class right away. An even larger amount of students would stay to talk to this professor after class had been officially dismissed.

Another luxury of being a professor is than sometimes your student is there to fill a general education requirement, and other students are genuinely interested in the material. The professor of which I speak teaches English Literature, a subject for which he is enormously passionate. Therefore, he was so enthusiastic when he lectured that the class became very involved with the discussion and were full of great ideas and interpretations of their own. I have never seen a teacher so talented at connecting with students—not because he wants anything for himself, but because he truly cares about them.

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