Respect

What comes to mind when I first think of the word respect (besides Arethra Franklin) is "common courtesy." I feel respect is a term for the appropriate way one should treat or act towards others. This involves demonstrating good manners, which unfortunately are really not all that common. According to one of several definitions from Dictionary.com respect means, "esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability."

This definition provides a good outlook of what respect should look like in a classroom. The students should hold their teachers in high esteem and respect their authority, while the teachers should have a sense of all students' worth and potential excellence.

This reflection brings two former teachers to my mind. The first was a history teacher that I feel did not respect his students. I cannot deny he was a very intelligent man and made class interesting. However, I personally did not like him as a teacher because he gave the impression that he got his jollies from making his students feel dumb. History has never been my strong suit, so I myself was a victim of his overdramatic outcries. I remember being very frustrated because of him and also felt sorry for my classmates who got the brunt of the bashing.

The second person that comes to my mind is the kind of teacher I aspire to be. My high school band director found the perfect balance of maintaining a great sense of humor and energy while also maintaining a very respectful environment. People loved him, but everyone also knew he was not one to mess with. This was because he respected the students and held everyone accountable to the same high standards. He did not make exceptions because he knew everyone was filled with potential. His criticisms could probably be seen as blunt, but they were honest and never said with the intention of belittling someone. He was also very encouraging and made one feel proud to be in band.

The most important step in establishing respect in a classroom is to make the expectations clear from the beginning. If a teacher lets the students slack off or be disrespectful on his/her first couple days, the teacher will have a very hard time, if even possible, re-establishing a respectful environment.