It has become the thing at the moment in education that we should develop a very 'human' relationship with our students - show them we care, that we have an interest in their lives.
Well wow, shock, horror, amazement - tell me something I don't know.
I have always taught from a position of I am interested in these children, students, young people and I want to learn from them as they learn from me. I really really really don't want to be told how I should feel about my job and the emotion I should bring to it. I find it disrespectful and demeaning. People should teach in a manner that works for them and that works for their students. It has to come from where they are at and not where some person in admin thinks they should be teaching from.
It makes my back teeth grind and my face do that terrible screwy up thing every time someone stands in front of me and starts doing the 'love your students' talk. Do they hear themselves at all?
Just as every student has their own preferred learning style, teachers are individuals who must find the way that they teach best. Yes, it is valid to remind us to respect and nurture students but don't make it a one size fits all kind of caring. I just want to get into the classroom and get on with it. I want to enjoy learning and value teaching. I want to go into my classroom and see students engaged with their own views of the world. When I can't do that anymore then I'm going out to make coffees or help people shop for a good book or any hundred other things that are out there.
So please people who are at the top of the teaching totem pole, let me do my job cause guess what I know how to do it well and I really do care.
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