Reeling in Research

Reeling in Research

Have you ever walked into a grocery store or clothing store, or even been to a park and seen a teacher?  I’m sure if you have, like I certainly have, we all thought the same thing, wow, this teacher is real?  He or she actually has a life?  In the article “Let your students know you’re human” by Straw Deborah she stresses the importance of teachers opening up to their students.  This article relates to the Passion Project, they both have the same idea that students and teachers need to be more open with one another to a certain extent.  Getting to know a teacher is very difficult and it’s not up to the students, the teacher has to want to share information about themselves.  I believe, and as do may others as mentioned in the Passion Project, getting to know a teacher changes the whole environment of the classroom.  It allows you to feel safe and comfortable and may even encourage you to learn and do better in school.  Just knowing that your teacher is approachable and that you can always ask for help if needed is a big deal and it’s something we should all be able to do.  Straw mentions that she shares information with her students, “What I do tell them is pertinent information to show I am human like them.” (Straw 1). This allows a teacher to get into a student’s mind, thus the student get into the teachers mind.  By doing this we can see each other’s intentions. We, as the students may be able to realize that the teacher does care for us and that they do want to help us.  This could help our learning in so many ways.  It also can let the teacher see what the student is going through and acknowledge that they may need a little extra push to do better in school, or just even the simple fact knowing someone cares for them can encourage the student to do better.  I believe that this can help a students learning.  Straw mentions that “They taught me a lot, in part because they opened themselves up a bit more” (Straw 1).  Allowing a student to get to know a teacher allows class to be a better learning environment for everyone.  The student may even be more interested in the lesson and feel the need to want to learn and to want to be successful.  Knowing that a teacher cares for you, and getting to know the teacher puts teaching on a whole new level.