I had a couple of candid conversations with students today [Dec 20, 2011] that primarily focused on one content area. I think their feedback, however, is universal no matter what subject we are teaching. From the mouths of babes (paraphrased for clarity):
- Give us as much time as we need to learn the content. Don't tell us that we have one week to cover it and then we are moving on to something else.
- Explain how what we are learning connects with real life. (Give practical examples that helps us see the connection on why would want to learn the concept in the first place.)
- Build positive relationships with your students. Have a sense of humor (even if it is a dry sense of humor, which seems to be very intriguing to our youth.)
- Don't assign homework for a grade.
- Understand that failure is a part of learning and don't punish me for that if I can show you I eventually met your expectations.
- Love your job. There is nothing worse than a teacher that acts like they would rather be somewhere else.
- Treat me like I am a real person trying to do real things in the real world.
If you are a teacher, I implore you to digest these words thoughtfully.
I like and agree with this. I did something similar around the same time. I captured what students wanted the nation to know about education. There are many similarities. You can check it out here http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/09/20-things-students-want-nation-to-know.html
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