TEACHING CHILDREN TO LOVE SCHOOL AND LEARNING
As we venture inside the classroom on a day-to-day basis, we face people with varied characters and dispositions. We somewhat deal with them with the most pleasing personality we could flaunt. But sometimes, it is not always the case. We tend to go beyond our limitations in dealing with others sometimes because of some inevitable circumstances brought by the nature of our work.
Teaching is about managing relationships in an intense, public arena all day. Some emotions will be overwhelming and difficult to manage. They will not be helpful for teaching and learning. In such cases like this, it is just a matter of personality. Pupils in school are very aware of the mental and physical state of their teachers. They seem to recognize the importance of well-being and stress management in learning.
Personality doesn’t mean just the characteristics and appearance of a person which grows and develops as age proceeds instead it needs constant self-direction towards sincerity, personal integrity, sociability, courtesy, morality, wisdom and others. These characteristics should be part of one’s teacher life. They are the necessary ingredients of a successful teacher.
Teachers, being a vital part of the educative process, must always consider displaying positive traits when dealing with students and classroom issues despite the pressure and stress brought by varied reasons. Teachers must embody great traits that students can emulate. In here, teachers’personality is challenged due to the fact that we know how handle professionally issues and concerns in the school without being so negative or rude in a way. This entails maintaining the balance between efficiency and effectiveness in teaching and proper handling our problems in the class. All these boil down to personality development.
The effectiveness of managing a classroom greatly depends on the personality of the teacher which determines the teacher’s level of organization, charisma and unique adjustment to classroom processes. Teachers may have the same professional qualities but they differ in their personality characteristics which makes their approach to classroom management also different. This sets one teacher from the rest.
Personality is the totality of one’s behavior towards oneself as well as others. It includes everything about the person, his physical, emotional, social, mental and spiritual factors. This affects the educative process of teaching and learning. The major determinant of success in the classroom is the value which the students attach to the teacher. The worth of a teacher’s personality naturally yields obedience, respect and esteem from students. A worthy personality places the teacher on an advantage to have a better control of his students and manage the class effectively.
— oOo— I at Betis High School The author is Teacher
One of the most important and challenging task for a teacher, especially those in the elementary or formative years, is making children love school and enticing them to embrace learning processes.
Research shows children innately love learning. Very early on, children begin exploring their bodies, their capabilities, and the world around them. They may not be thinking to themselves, “I am learning,” but that is exactly what they are doing as they investigate everything they come in contact with. Young children know how to take the smallest observation, object, or surprise and turn it into a learning experience. They employ investigative techniques without even knowing how to define them as such. They are curious and want to find out the what, where, how, and why of everything around them. As the children discover later on in their new classroom, there is so much to experience at school-particularly when the teacher has created an environment that reflects their interests, learning styles, families, and cultures.
A teacher nurtures a child’s love of learning by expanding on his or her own inquisitive nature. As early childhood teachers, we know that teaching means much more than lessons and standards. We’re responsible for creating an environment of support that allows children to develop their own ideas, express their feelings, take risks, make choices, and most of all, grow to be strong, thinking individuals.
Teachers look to themselves first and then to the environment to be sure that they create a classroom climate that encourage investigation and collaboration. Teachers foster a love of learning not so much by the special materials or activities, but through a responsive, inquisitive attitude.
When a teacher provides plenty of time for open-ended, constructive play every day, he or she creates opportunities for children to explore the joy of learning. At the same time, they can extend children’s learning experiences by engaging children in meaningful conversations about their activities. With great open-ended questions and discussions, teachers can invite children to develop their own ideas and construct their own learning by expanding, clarifying, and developing their thinking.
Research emphasize that it’s important to note that it is not just children’s engagement in activities that is important. It is a teacher’s skillful and conscious interactions with children that constructs knowledge and builds a love of learning.
— oOo— The author is Teacher II at San Isidro Elementary School, Sta. Ana, Pampanga