I arrived at the new school excited, but with some butterflies in my stomach, and Mr. D’s first words to me as he reached for my hand were, “Are you my person?” His eyes twinkled. The question communicated humour and gentle kindness. I had to respond with a smiling, “Yes, I am.”
Right off the bat, I felt like a valuable part of the Grade 10 English classroom. This sense of belonging that I feel in Mr. D’s class is not unique to myself as a student teacher – it is a feeling that Mr. D fosters for all of the students he interacts with.
Mr. D has a heart of gold. He earnestly wishes to know his students personally and show that he cares about them. Through his use of irony and humour, Mr. D’s students feel comfortable and gain a sense of joy associated with learning. The fact that no electronic devices are permitted in class allows for greater interpersonal connections between students and the teacher. Students know that Mr. D’s Grade 10 English classroom is a space where they are free and safe to share their thoughts and unique personalities.
Despite his 30 years of teaching experience at this school, starting this semester, Mr. D was faced with a new class he had never taught before. Yet the first few days of the semester, Mr. D made every effort to build relationship with his new class. Every morning, Mr. D floated around the front of the room, welcoming his students into the class by name and asking them about specific things in their lives. The conversation was usually light-hearted, energizing, humorous, and friendly.
In one of the first classes we had together, Mr. D asked the class to work in groups to come up with a metaphor to illustrate the Big Ideas. I walked around the classroom to facilitate discussion, check in, and give suggestions for forming sophisticated metaphors. At this time, Mr. D called individual students up to his desk for a short chat to get to know them personally. To Mr. D, this was an essential time for learning the students’ names and getting to know their interests and personalities in a more intimate setting.
As a student teacher, I find Mr. D’s class inviting, energizing, and saturated with learning opportunities. Witnessing his interactions with students shows me how to be a teacher who is both respected and loved by students. For educators, it can sometimes be easy to focus too much on the task at hand. However, Mr. D is an example of how a teacher can cultivate meaningful, personal student-teacher relationships while still keeping them professional and focused on learning and growth. Mr. D makes it clear that he not only wants his students to learn facts and skills; he also wants to help them grow personally as individuals.
As a future educator, I aspire to cultivate a similar learning environment that is enriched by a meaningful teacher-student relationship.
Photo by Evan Kirby on Unsplash