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Showing genuine interest in our students' life

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Showing genuine interest in our students' life

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From Miss Tan's video, I've learned that it is important to show genuine interests in the life of our students. We should not just focus on our students' academic achievement but we should also pay attention and display a interest in learning more about our students. When our students share with us about their life experiences, it is because they trust us and we should not abuse this trust by shooing our students away. When we understand our students better, we can develop stronger TSR. We should also show respect for our students through the tone and body language we display. By establishing classroom routines and rules, our students learn how to manage themselves and to behave in an appropriate manner. (Jasmine)

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Mrs Heng's thoughts were really enlightening and I was truly amazed by her hardwork. Besides caring for the children, she also wants to inculcate a 'growth mindset' to empower them. Many a times, we underestimate the power of words and Mrs Heng has clearly showed us that as teachers, our words are very valuable and impactful to our students. She motivates them by putting up encouraging posters, getting students to write get well soon cards and holidays letter writing. I really like how she structures her classroom by incorporating parking lots and brain break corners. Students are actively learning and reflecting and that helps them to develop  growth mindset too. One thing which Mrs Heng said which I feel is really important for teachers to know is to "connect what they learn to the real world." By doing so, we are genuinely creating the love of learning for students. The extra mile that we go to show love and care for our students will definitely have a great and positive impact on them. (Siddiqah)

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Believe in the Growth Mindset and Exercise it!

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Believe in the Growth Mindset and Exercise it!

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Through Mrs Heng's video, I've learned that believing the growth mindset is not enough and that we should actively exercise it. She inspires me in the way she constantly upgrades herself to better be able to teacher her students in the way that suits them best. Just looking at the arrangement and decor of the classroom, has got me taking screenshots and notes for my future classroom. The culture of care is so strong in her class that even students who transfer out are given a farewell package. Clearly these actions come from the heart and Mrs Heng is indeed someone we can all look towards for inspiration and guidance. Indeed, a child who feels loved and cared for is a child who would love and care for your lessons, which benefits them and us too.

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Mr Lim shared about how “caring” for someone is subjected to differing perspectives. It is a receptivity to the needs of others. To care for someone means to see beyond the desirability of our own terms, rather, to understand from his/her perspective. To CARE is to Communicate, be Approachable, have Respect and Empathy.

I think of all the points that he shared, I really liked his point on approachability. As mentioned, time is limited and often times, we may get caught up in the moment and end up brushing our students off. But, it is important that we become more aware of our actions as it may come across as being unapproachable. On hindsight, I do agree that it is important. I think students would be more willing to listen to what you have to say and to tell you about what is happening in their lives if they see that you are someone approachable. On hindsight, I can clearly remember the students who approached me to ask about my life. To me, it showed me that they cared for me and I guess students would feel cared for, if we, as teachers, took just a minute or two and make the effort to approach them to ask about their lives.

The other thing that I learnt from his video is CLAM in order to balance a good rapport with students and to foster discipline at the same time.

C: Clear rules

L: Logical consequences “when” and “then” options

A: Affirmation: reward behaviours that you want to see

M: Modelling good behaviour

(Ashley)

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From the video I watched featuring Mrs Heng, I learn that it is important to show the students that they are loved. This could be done through small actions such as having a powerpoint slide in their favourite background or giving them a small balloon. Also by encouraging students to show love to those around them, we inculcate the habit in them. Students thrive on love and it is important as an educator to develop TSR with students. This can be achieved through various ways and one of them can be by encouraging them to write letters to teacher to share their holiday experiences etc. This is particularly useful as students may not be able to share their feelings or thoughts with the teacher due to time constraints. As such, this can be another avenue for them to reach out to the teacher. Overall, I understood that it is the small, consistent actions and not the big grand gesture that is done once in awhile that has the bigger impact on the children. (Nisha)

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Mrs Heng is really an admirable educator who clearly goes the extra mile to ensure that all of her students feel valued and appreciated in the classroom, not just for their performance or effort, but most fundamentally for being a student in her classroom. I learnt about the importance of expressing care and concern for my students, even in the smallest of gestures such as giving handwritten encouragement cards to students or getting the class to write get-well cards for their classmate. It is through simple, genuine gestures like the ones mentioned by Mrs Heng that really speak volumes to students on how much their teacher appreciates them and how important they are in class. Another instance that Mrs Heng went the extra mile for her students was when she created individual ‘brain break’ packages for her students amidst the COVID situation. I am certain her effort is acknowledged and appreciated by all of her students, and would surely make a lasting impact on them. (Dominic)

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Throughout our year-long teacher training, we’ve heard time and again about the importance of a positive classroom culture and the wealth of benefits it brings. In her sharing, Mrs Heng shared many practical (and inspiring) ways to bring theory to practice. Some of them include creating a safe and inviting environment to ensure all children feel loved and valued. We see how Mrs Heng goes above and beyond by going to great lengths to do so- celebrating birthdays, incorporating a class song and cheer, introducing encouragement cards and letter writing during the holidays and many more. These definitely contribute to the strong classroom community, but it is not without harnessing the partnership with parents as a force. At the end of the day, we all have a desire to feel safe and heard, and that’s why the sense of community is very important to me and is something I vow to consciously work on in my classroom. (Aisyah)

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Ms Heng mentioned that an important part of TSR is making the child feel valued and loved. This can be done by celebrating special moments such as birthdays or father's/mother's day while being sensitive to the child's situation. Other than celebrating special moments,  Ms Heng also displays children's work. In her classroom, she has the Mathematics and the English corner where she displays their work. She reminds us to display every single child's work and not to focus only on good work. Additionally, she encourages teachers to forge good relationships with students by personally connecting with them. If a student has been unwell for several days, she encourages her students to write cards and send them to their friend.

All in all, I was very inspired by Mrs Heng and her love for her students. Her sincerity in making each and every of her child feel valued is very clear and I am sure that the students themselves felt it too. Watching  her video reminds me that I need to always put the child at the center and consider their needs. Moreover, we need to value every single one of the students in class. Sometimes we may overlook the quieter ones as we are too focused on the rowdier and louder students. Mrs Heng's video is inspiring and is a good reminder for me to be sincere in building goof TSR with my students.
(Radiance)

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Part of being a caring teacher is to uphold the value of respect. When we respect students, we show consideration and appreciation for who they are, while also honouring and admiring their strengths. One way to show respect to students is to not embarrass them when they display undesirable behaviours e.g. sleeping in class. Teachers should address issues outside of class and remember to talk to students rather than talking down to them.

Fostering teacher-student relationship, in a way, is like any other relationship, where there needs to be mutual respect. However, TSR differs slightly due to the power imbalance, where the teacher is an authority figure. Thus, teachers may feel as though they are allowed to talk down to students. However, Teachers would not be earning students' respect if they themselves do not treat their students with dignity. When there is no mutual respect, the TSR is strained. I believe that respecting each other is the first step to a healthy TSR. Only then would each party be open to listening and communicating with each other.
(Sabrina)

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To be a caring teacher is to listen actively to students’ needs and concerns. As a teacher, we should listen actively for the meaning behind what students are saying and check in with them regularly to see how they are coping. When there is an incident, we should not jump into conclusions and investigate what has truly happened. This way, students feel valued and that their worries are acknowledged, therefore enhancing the trust students have in us.

If classroom time does not permit such focused listening to a student who really needs it, then time should be set aside outside the classroom to talk to the student when there are fewer distractions.

(Syarmin)

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Empathy is an integral part of a teacher's behaviour. Using empathy in the classroom can help teachers to better understand our students' feelings and needs. As teachers, we should model empathy by considering the perspectives of our students. A way to practise this is to remember a time when we feel a similar feeling and communicate with students that we understand them. We should not be too quick to dismiss the problems faced by our students. When we put aside our judgment and try our best to work difficult moments together with them,  we are empowering every student in our class thus creating positive relationships with them.
(Noor Amirah)

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One of the salient points that Mr Lim shared was how important approachability is in establishing a positive teacher-student relationship. According to him, the best teachers are open, welcoming and approachable - encouraging us teachers to be friendly to our students and render ourselves easy or available to talk to. Upon reflection, I feel that this advice is so simple yet so easy to overlook, especially when faced with an ever-increasing workload. Watching this video was a reminder for me to make the conscious effort to interact with my students, as doing so will not just put them at ease, but also encourage them to do their best in my presence.

The three main takeaways that I got from watching the video were:

(1) Showing our students that we are approachable by making the first move or striking conversations with them

(2) Share our life’s happenings (where appropriate) and invite students to respond so that they can better relate to you

(3) Take note of  non-verbal cues such as your posture or eye contact as this could be construed differently

(Shafiqah)

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One of the points which Mr Lim mentioned is the importance of self care as a teacher, and that we "cannot share with others a resource that we are lacking ourselves."

I feel that sometimes we think that self-care is a taboo word, as if all teachers need to be a stronger breed of human being (this is also true!!) and it is not okay to feel disgruntled or emotional when it comes to certain issues. As teachers, we need to treat our well-being on the same level of importance as the well-being of our students.

A teacher is a like a tree and the students are like the animals that rely on the tree. If the tree is not nourished well, it would not feel adequate enough to take care of the needs of the people that rely on it.

Conclusively, it is important to self-care - make it a priority, don''t rubbish it! A little self care will go a long way.
(Derick)