She give a simple instruction and got verbally abused, those displays she spent hours putting up on the walls got torn down in seconds, she asked me to leave and I became aggressive…so why did this particular teacher not give up trying?
As a student whose behaviour and attainment was extremely poor throughout secondary school, it goes without saying that this negatively impacted on the relationships I had with my teachers. One particular subject teacher was no different when it came to the lack of respect I showed to any type of authority and yet she never gave up trying to win me over. It took her two years but she eventually got there with me. The solution so simple yet so hard to find, she never gave up with me, she had endless patience with me, she took the time…to understand me!
Recently I came across a TED talk by Rita Pierson in 2013 which hugely resonated with me and reminded me of the strength a positive relationship between teacher and pupil can have. She flawlessly captures the importance of relationship building with your students and talks of a touching moment at her mothers funeral which demonstrates the power of an educators legacy.
Enjoy this short 7 minutes, it’s worth your time.