what is friendly student teaching

What is student-friendly teaching,

or- rather- what it is NOT

Student-friendly teaching has nothing  in common with a lack of discipline. On the contrary, introducing a set  of  clear  and   reasonable  rules  of conduct in the  classroom, such  as: NO CHEATING, NO TALKING IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE, THERE'S ALWAYS HOMEWORK,  etc.,  helps

build mutual respect and constitutes a good ground for  building  a   partnership  - provided  that  the Teacher  is consistent in  applying these  rules  and observes them himself/herself.

•  It is an  obvious  fact  that   we  do  not  respect

people  who  do  not  follow  the  rules that  they establish   for   others.  Therefore,   if  a  Teacher requires  his or her Students  to be on  time  for classes and is often  late himself  or herself  or if he/she  tells his/her Students  to do home ork, whereas  he/she  comes  unprepared, Students  will    definitely   disrespect    him/her.  Jn  such a case, there is no basis for applying any kind of a student-friendly approach to  teaching, even if the Teacher is otherwise nice.

• Another   unfriendly"" situation  occurs   when

a Teacher does not  obey  certain  rules and  lets his or her  Students  disobey  them,  too. In such a case, each side learns to show  lack of respect for  the  other   side.  By doing so, the  Teacher might  satisfy  some  of  his/her   lazier  or  easy­ going  Students,   but   others   will   simply   feel discouraged and offended. From the Students'  perspective, the Teacher might be"easy to work  with;"  but,  as experience shows,  too   lenient Teachers are not respected. Most Students think that such Teachers are disorganized, unfair, and unprofessional.

• There are a lso Teachers who  overuse  discipline in a hostile  way. I have heard  about  ones who shout  at  their  (adult!)  Students,  criticize them  for anything (placing their  bag  on the  floor  or making noises with their  pens, for example), or even call them  names. Such behaviours are not only unfriendly but also unacceptable.

"Making friends"with Students by means  of  sharing   our  private   life  with  them  is also, surprisingly, unfriendly.

• Short stories or family anecdotes are sometimes good  as ice-breakers  or  funny  comments in specific  situations, as they  show  Students  the

"human side" of the Teacher- provided that the

stories  are  short,  relevant, and, which is very important, told  in the language being taught.

• If a Teacher tends to tell long stories concerning his or her private life during language classes, Students will  not  only  be bored  but  also angry  about the  fact  that   they   have  come   to  the classroom  to learn a language and, instead of it, their  time scheduled for education gets stolen.

I     know  a  Teacher  who  would  spend   HOURS

talking about   his  hobby instead  of  teaching. Students  pretended to be interested, but  they hated the whole  situation.

• Sharing   our   feelings   of  depression, sadness, anxiety,  frustration, etc.  is also  unacceptable. Everyone  has problems that  hurt,  but  it is our duty to leave these issues outside the classroom. We should  not  only refrain  from  talking about  our personal  life during classes but also prevent  our moods  and emotions from influencing the quality of our  teaching. Anyone  who  has ever suffered  from  depression knows   how  hard  it is to  separate  feelings  from  work.  However,  it is necessary- and if it is impossible for us, we should  look for professional help. Students  are not to become  victims of our personal problems.

So, student-friendly teaching is. ..

... a product of a Teacher's will to change  himself or  herself,  a decision  to  apply  certain  measures to make his/her  relations with Students  friendlier (that    is:   mature,    pleasant,   fair,   entertaining,

open, etc.