If students respond positively to positive reinforcement and support, we have to work hard to encourage them all as much as we can, right? The answer is a no-brainer; of course! The problem is, however, that sometimes students are downright frustrating, and the only way they will change and grow is if we put our egos aside and try to help them learn.
I have students who are just too far above my class to give it a first thought. I mean that they come to class, sit in the back, and study for another class. I let it slide; I told myself that this is college, and if they want to learn, they have to take the initiative. But I’m now realizing that that is just not fair. If the language we use, down to the tone itself, can carry enough influence to motivate a student, am I not de-motivating them by ignoring them or talking with an edge to my voice? Shouldn’t I be the one to rise above and try to help them even when it feels like defeat?
I was thinking about the study on rats, and how the people’s tones alone created winners and losers out of the rats. If my tone is apathetic, am I not reinforcing apathy towards college and writing in the student? This is something I really wanted to work on in my teaching, but it is probably the one thing I really struggled with the most.