Learning Outcome 3: Demonstrate good moral character
Before
student teaching I was a resident assistant in one of the residence halls on
campus. One of the hallmark sayings of this position was that you will be
“living in a fish bowl”. Being a figure in front of a classroom takes that
sentiment and multiplies it tenfold. Every action that you commit to is being
watched by up to thirty pairs of eyes every day- and that is just one class
period alone. Students are watching everything that you are doing
whenever you are interacting with them. I found that I needed to pay attention
to the things that I said and how I said them and also the nonverbal actions I
committed. Students are looking for guidance on how they act and react in and
out of the classroom. If I wanted students to be excited about what we
were doing, I needed to be excited about what we were doing. If I wanted
students to be awake in my classroom, I needed to be awake. While these things
might sound simple and obvious, they can at times be the most tiring. I found
students to be most interested when I was most active and in a way
entertaining.
I knew that I would have to present myself in a manner that would allow students to respect and connect with me. This is a tough line to walk, but it is also very rewarding. I found it most rewarding when I first interacted with the students on a personal level. This often times took form in greeting students at the door, asking them questions about their lives and offering times when I would be available to them before and after class. By greeting them in this manner students would be more likely to interact in the classroom. This was also a great way to open the lines of communication between myself and the students. I did not want them to think I was a disconnected robot that only wanted to interact with them inside of the classroom. I believe that by opening the doors of communication in this manner, students were able to connect with me on a personable level.
Another way of expressing good moral character is through the use of language. When I am instructing students, I use the language that I expect from them. This can take the form of eliminating contractions from my verbal instructions as a way to help them with their writing tasks to responding to inappropriate language usage by asking them why they used it and how can they remedy it. While it is important to use the skills that you want your students to internalize, there is also a way to use language to connect. Often times when I am looking for an example to further reinforce the skills learned, I will use more vernacular speaking. This helps keeps students interests, reinforces their skills and helps establish connections.
While I want to make personal connections with my students, I also know that there are professional boundaries that cannot be crossed. I believe that this is where the nonverbal actions take place. I present myself in a professional manner with the clothes I wear, the way I carry myself and how I present myself to students. I have adopted mannerisms that reinforce these aspects. In my instruction, I always model what I want from my students before I ask them to do the same. By showing them my work and stating my expectations, students are more likely to respond and rise above my expectations.
As students look to me to express good moral character, I look to them to show me their moral character. This important part of their identity can be expressed through their writing and class discussions. Students love to talk about themselves, but only in environments where they feel safe. By setting the ground work for a safe classroom with the expectations worksheet, and reinforcing that with classroom management, students can begin expressing and processing their lives, beliefs, growing identities and the world around them. This exploration happens best when you ask students to actively interact with the texts you are bringing to the class. By giving them images, music and videos along with written texts and asking them to give their initial reaction, students are likely to share their inner workings. Once they express their reactions and interactions appropriately, then the deconstruction work can begin and open their world even further.
Expectations worksheet- This worksheet was handed out to students, reviewed and then discussed. If students felt that any of my expectations were unreasonable or could be improved they were able to make those recommendations in a class discussion. They were also able to determine a list of expectations that they had for me. This conversation set the groundwork for all of the discussions we had later on in class.