You are a teacher in the middle of the school year. At this point the students have warmed up to you and you have warmed up to your students. Then one day, a few of your students are speaking an octave higher than anticipated. You ask them to keep the noise down a little bit, then all of a sudden, a screaming match between you and the students breaks out.
As these arguments become more consistent, a shift in the classroom dynamic occurs and now certain students feel it is okay to disrespect the teacher.
There are some teachers that would allow the disrespect to continue but there are also some teachers who would stand their ground. Even though every teacher is different,
Freshman English teacher, John Gurbisz, chimes in on teacher student dynamic.
“I think there are students that are out to pick fights with teachers,” said Gurbisz. “It distracts them from doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”
There are various reasons why a student-teacher argument may occur. Sometimes,
the students see their grades from all the missing work, they are ready to argue with the teacher trying to figure out why their grades are like that instead of asking for help. They do not realize that the less amount of work you do, the lower your grade will be. Instead, they make it seem like the teachers are at fault for how their grades look.
On the other hand, many students may feel as if their respect should be earned first.
Although it may seem teachers have more of a say in some things, the ratio of students with compassion and understanding with their peers can easily overpower the teacher. Sychar Echevarri, a sophomore here at UACHS, states her view of the teacher student dynamic.
“Disrespect goes both ways depending on the situation, but we both have to earn each other’s respect,” said Echevarri.
While respect going both ways is true, teachers inherently deserve respect. Conflicts between students deter learning in the classroom and oftentimes teachers must continue with their planned activities.
Students may feel as if teachers would rather continue teaching their lesson than address an argument that occurred. As the back and forth continues between teachers and students, the students’ perception about the teacher might change and the relationship they might have had would be affected.
This can be unfair on both parts because the students feel as if they do not have a teacher to really connect with, but at the same time, the teacher is being disrespected.
Although teachers endure disrespect, at times students can feel like a target as well. There are teachers who at times do not know how to address students and end up being disrespectful even if it wasn’t their intention.
The majority of teachers experience disrespect in the classroom each year. Even though this can not be avoided, teachers try their best by setting rules from day one.
Students can alleviate issues by adhering to the rules and being an active part of the classroom instead of being a distraction.
Allowing yourself to build good relationships with your teachers can also give you opportunities such as letters of recommendations and other useful tools.
Even though this issue is overlooked, it should be seen as a wakeup call for students who are blatantly disrespectful towards their teachers. They are here to help and guide you not be the opposition.