Success in the Classroom by Audrey

Success in the Classroom by Audrey - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

If I could give one of my teachers a piece of advice to help me learn better it would be to please have an open mind and respect everyone`s opinions. Over the past few years in high school, I have noticed numerous numbers of my teachers rejecting my classmates’ opinions, before my classmates can even explain the situation. After awhile, the problem becomes really annoying because the teachers want the students to respect them, but in return, the teachers are not being respectful to the students who are respecting them. Not all teachers are this way, but some teachers are this way and they may not realize they are not respecting their students. I believe there are ways to help resolve the misunderstandings teachers have with their students.

First, communication is a big key. Communication between the teacher and the student is a start in the progress of respecting one another. If a student is feeling uncomfortable with their teacher in class, then the student needs to pull the teacher aside after class or send them an email saying that he/she will like to talk them sometime. If the teacher is willing to talk with the student, then there is already success with the teacher respecting their student.

Second, understanding the situation is an important key concept. One of the reasons why a teacher could easily reject a student`s opinion is because they do not understanding the subject or how to address the subject the student is talking about. If this happens in class, then the teacher should ask the student questions about the subject or tell the student to stay after class to explain. Instead, what I’ve seen some of my teachers do is avoid the subject or question and move onto a different topic of discussion. I feel the teachers are being ignorant because they are disrespecting their students who respect and look up to them on a daily basis. I believe the teacher, instead, should take a few minutes and let the student explain, so the teacher has a better understanding of what is going on. By doing this, the student and the teacher have success in clearing up misunderstandings about the subject or the situation.

Third, it’s important to keep an open mind. Having an open mind is important because I believe we all learn from each other. In the classroom, students learn from the teachers, but, in return, the teachers are learning from their students. The teachers have certain materials that they must teach us students, but each student will respond differently to the material. If teachers keep an open mind in the classroom, they may learn something from their students by looking at a problem or a situation in a different way that they never would have thought about. Keeping an open mind teaches people there are many ways to view the situation and if everyone works together instead of rejecting each other, so much can get done in the classroom. Students and teachers who are successful at keeping open minds are more likely to communicate better and learning from one another.

The point of learning in school is to be successful in the classroom. The key to building great student and teacher relationships are respect for one another. The concepts of building these relationships are communication, resolving misunderstandings, and have an open mind about everything in order to be successful in the classroom at school.