From A Teacher’s Perspective
Lauren Conner, educator extraordinaire, joins me on the podcast today to talk about school culture from a teacher’s perspective.
Lauren Conner and The Choose Well Program
[0:51] Lauren Conner was introduced to The Choose Well Program through her work in a middle school. She quickly became a valuable advocate for the program and helping students to make better choices. Lauren’s passion for connecting with students matches well with the Choose Well message.
A Wholistic Approach To Teaching
[3:08] Kid’s need to feel valued and seen if they are going to be good learners in the classroom. Lauren approaches teaching through the lens of social and emotional learning first to build a connection with kids. Lauren was lucky enough to have great professors who taught the importance of relationships in the classroom setting. Educators definitely enter their field wanting to teach kids and they genuinely enjoy being educators.
The Toughest Learning Experience For Educators
[5:15] Education is highly relational. Yes, educators teach students academics. However, relationships are fostered when students spend several hours of their day with educators. As students and educators spend more time together, there is bound to be some conflict. When conflict occurs or students act out, it can be hard for educators not to take things personally.
Sometimes students act out because it’s just a normal part of being human. Sometimes students act out because they have really hard personal lives. Lauren believes that building a connection with students can help educators navigate these in-class relationships, even with the “tough” kids. It won’t always be easy, but students need to see a model of calm and understanding when they are at school. Educators, be willing to listen to students and learn their stories.
Respond or React
[7:18] Choosing to respond to students in a calm way is choosing not to react rashly when conflict arises. It keeps educators from saying or doing things that aren’t helpful. It also releases steam from tense interactions with students.
This is a way to model appropriate responses and stability for students that will help them make better choices moving forward. This is also a model for any students who are witnesses to the interaction.
What Lauren Wants You To Know About Teachers
[9:38] People become educators because they really love teaching, they love to teach kids, and they want to make a difference. Educators also value parent involvement and have their doors open to talk to parents. Building relationships and connecting with students includes connecting with the parents. Parents can have a conversation with their kids’ teachers. It can help with a lot of issues in and outside of the classroom.
The same is true for students. Lauren has seen that teachers are open to having a conversation with their students. Teachers want to connect with their students, so their doors are open for students to talk to them about concerns that they have.
A Word For Administrators & Educators
[12:26] Successful education teams have very supportive administrators and Lauren has been blessed with this in her work. The administration of a school can really set the tone for good communication and collaboration among educators and between the school and families.
Everyone on staff has an important role to play in the education system. From the lunch and bus staff, to aides, to teachers, everyone plays an important role in shaping the school culture. Each person is valuable in creating a safe place for students to learn.
