Why We Should Care About Our Students (Even When We Don't Want To)

When I played sports as an undergraduate, there was always a time in the semester where everything slowly began to crumble. It was usually right after pre-season had ended, all of the women had become completely comfortable around each other, and games began to count towards our season record. It was at that time that players began to decline in their performance, cat fights would emerge, and we'd usually start losing games in a row. This was my least favorite part of playing sports, so in a way, I was eagerly thrilled to not have to experience all that my first semester of grad school as a student-teacher, not an athlete. 

Siiiiiiike. 

It's Week 8 and although I am no longer an undergraduate athlete, I realized that this "lull" is not limited to the soccer field. My students have become completely comfortable with the climate of the classroom, we've gone through a couple waves of assignments, and I'm starting to input more and more 0's into their grades on Blackboard. I've done my best to remind them every class period (literally, every. Damn. Class. Period.) what is due and what they need to be working on. Yet, I am being bombarded with emails at 11:50PM every Sunday night asking questions I have addressed in class. 

Instead of letting my frustrations take over my teaching style, I took a moment today to reflect on what was actually happening. Everyone (students, teachers, athletes, coaches, employees, etc) will have a time where they need that extra nudge or push in order for them to open up their eyes and get their butt in gear; It's human nature to want to get comfortable! Instead of having a the classic Coming to Jesus Moment that many teachers cringe to think about, I did something much familiar to what I experienced as an athlete.  

After finishing speeches leftover from last week, I took a brief 5 minutes to let my class know how much I genuinely care about them. I spoke about how I enjoy my job  because of them and how they're remarkable individuals and that they're all here for a reason. I let them know what an accomplishment it is to even be sitting in their seats; A luxury many people will never experience. "Essentially, you can try to motivate apathetic or lazy students by consistently reinforcing the idea that they are in charge of their own learning, that they can achieve their own goals, and that there is a reason to do so" (Dannels, 2015). After letting them know how much I care about them, I let them know how disappointed I was in their behaviors. I was completely honest with them about how many of them are on the road to failing this class and that choosing not to turn in their work is unacceptable. I did not nag or yell or threaten their grades. I simply spoke with conviction. After class, many students approached me. Some apologized, some asked what they can do to correct their mistakes, and some thanked me for caring about them. 

I've had a handful of talks with my class about how they need to turn their assignments in or how they need to show up for class. However, this was the first time all semester that I truly felt a reciprocated connection to my students. Not only did I care about them, but they cared about me.

Athletics and academics function in very similar ways. Similar to being a coach, if you are able to connect with your students on a deeper level, they will never intentionally try to hurt the relationship between you and them. Therefore, they will want to try to mend the relationship if they think it was broken. I am looking forward to helping my students achieve their potential while sharing the same bond Mexico's Head Coach Miguel Herrera shares with his team.

#Pedagoalie