What I Want to Prevent

I was working on my computer when my roommate ran into the house. She shut the door rather hard. I greeted her and was shocked to see tears running down her face. I tried my best to comfort her. Between muffled cries I gathered the story. She is currently in a class where she was required to lead a discussion of her peers and then they offer feedback on her ability to lead discussions. Apparently, "They had nothing good to say." Not a single word of praise was offered. She was given plenty of feedback of what to do better. She left class feeling like a failure and that everyone judged her and disapproved of her. It is true that her class did not know of her deep depression and oppressive anxiety. Had they known it would they have offered more praise and encouragement? This event ruined the rest of her day and caused her to seriously consider dropping out of school. 

As I watched her sob and heard how badly she hurt, I vowed I would do my best in my classroom to prevent such a thing happening. How can I as a teacher avoid such an occasion? First, I will develop personal relationships with my students so they will know they can trust me and that I care about them. I as a teacher will use criticism rarely and instead use praise mixed with encouragement. Next, I will make a classroom environment where everyone accepts one another. They will know each other's names. They will be willing to work with each other. They will compliment each other and give praise. The goal is to make my classroom as much like a team or a family as I can. Finally, I will make my classroom a place where success is possible. It will have many outlets for success. I will give them a taste of what success tastes like. Sometimes the traditional educational system stifles places where some students will be most successful (just think of all the success to be had by allowing more creativity in class). In addition, I will teach my students that failure is okay. Ultimately failure is just another part of learning.