Essential Advice For Aspiring Teachers
A significant lesson learned by the teacher is to avoid making assumptions about students' characters based on their behavior, as unseen circumstances like family responsibilities or personal tragedies impact their performance; getting to know students and understanding their situations leads to greater success in teaching.
Empathy, Understanding Students' Circumstances, Avoiding Assumptions, Building Relationships with Students, Effective Teaching Strategies
Advizer Information
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Dorothy Kim
Teacher
FJUHSD
UCSD
CSUF Teaching Credential
Biology & Related Sciences, History, Art History
Education
Education
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Never make assumptions about a student's character based on a single observation.
2. Students may be struggling with issues outside of school that affect their performance.
3. Understanding a student's circumstances and showing empathy is key to their success.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
You never know what someone is struggling with, so do not make assumptions about their character based on their behavior for that one day, one period, or one year that you have them.
Sometimes they don't do the homework because they've been up all night taking care of their baby siblings. Sometimes they can't study for a test because they're busy working a job until midnight to support their families.
Even a difference of a year can be significant. Last year, they might have been a straight-A student, and then their parent passed away. Unfortunately, with summer passing, when you receive them, your first impression might be that this student is not smart or not a good student, whatever you want to label them.
Please do not do that. The more you don't take things at face value, the more you want to get to know and understand them. The more you do that, the more success you will find with them.
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