Care and Compassion in the Classroom
I believe that the most important thing a teacher can do for their students is to develop a supportive and positive relationship with their students and to create a learning environment where every student feels encouraged, appreciated and safe to express themselves. If students have an education that is built on care, compassion and empathy, it will ultimately allow them to develop the self-confidence and awareness they need to become responsible citizens who care about their world and strive to make a positive impact on their society.
As a professional entrusted with the development of future generations, I take my role as a mentor very seriously. I spend time each day checking in on students in order to encourage them, help them in any way I can and to build trusting and supportive relationship with them. I find out what matters to my students as individuals, and incorporate those interests and ideals into my lessons, so that students always know that I am actively listening to them, and helping them to learn in a way that is relevant to their lives. Also, when communicating with students, I always talk to, not down to them in order to help my students to see that their opinions and ideas matter, and that expressing themselves in appropriate ways is important. In addition, I celebrate the strengths and diversity of my students by allowing them to have choice in their learning and by giving them multiple means of representing their knowledge. In this way, I show that I care about my students as individuals and in turn teach them what compassion is by example.
When interacting with my colleagues and the community at large, I always demonstrate a positive attitude, flexibility and a collaborative spirit. By offering support and encouragement to others and receiving constructive feedback and ideas with an open mind, I demonstrate to members of the community that I respect and appreciate their efforts and opinions. I also make the effort to engage the community in what is happening in my classroom so that they can see the strengths and abilities of the students and become an extension of the learning that occurs. As a result, I develop caring and compassionate relationships with my colleagues and the community that transcend stereotypical barriers between diverse peoples with different agendas.
Nelson Mandela once wrote that, “Education is the most powerful weapon that one can use to change the world.” I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, so when teaching academic content, I include discussions and activities related to citizenship, empathy, problem-solving and the interconnectedness of humanity and the environment. By adding emphasis to these ideas in my lessons, tying curricular content to current events in our world, and recognizing students who demonstrate positive citizenship traits, I am not only demonstrating how to care for a global word, but fostering and developing compassion and awareness in my students that they will hopefully use to effect positive change in the future.
As a professional entrusted with the development of future generations, I take my role as a mentor very seriously. I spend time each day checking in on students in order to encourage them, help them in any way I can and to build trusting and supportive relationship with them. I find out what matters to my students as individuals, and incorporate those interests and ideals into my lessons, so that students always know that I am actively listening to them, and helping them to learn in a way that is relevant to their lives. Also, when communicating with students, I always talk to, not down to them in order to help my students to see that their opinions and ideas matter, and that expressing themselves in appropriate ways is important. In addition, I celebrate the strengths and diversity of my students by allowing them to have choice in their learning and by giving them multiple means of representing their knowledge. In this way, I show that I care about my students as individuals and in turn teach them what compassion is by example.
When interacting with my colleagues and the community at large, I always demonstrate a positive attitude, flexibility and a collaborative spirit. By offering support and encouragement to others and receiving constructive feedback and ideas with an open mind, I demonstrate to members of the community that I respect and appreciate their efforts and opinions. I also make the effort to engage the community in what is happening in my classroom so that they can see the strengths and abilities of the students and become an extension of the learning that occurs. As a result, I develop caring and compassionate relationships with my colleagues and the community that transcend stereotypical barriers between diverse peoples with different agendas.
Nelson Mandela once wrote that, “Education is the most powerful weapon that one can use to change the world.” I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, so when teaching academic content, I include discussions and activities related to citizenship, empathy, problem-solving and the interconnectedness of humanity and the environment. By adding emphasis to these ideas in my lessons, tying curricular content to current events in our world, and recognizing students who demonstrate positive citizenship traits, I am not only demonstrating how to care for a global word, but fostering and developing compassion and awareness in my students that they will hopefully use to effect positive change in the future.