“When it comes to the American classroom, the bad news is that it can be a reflection of society.” (Savage, 1999, p.5) The good news for teachers, according to Savage, is that students have a tendency seek a refuge of security and safety. In addition, students can thrive in a classroom that provides an atmosphere that encourages positive expression. As a newly hired junior high school math teacher, I realize that there are many benefits to building personal relationships with my students. Junior high students are seeking to balance their developing awareness of the world with their insecurities about their place in it. In my experience, these young adults can be suspicious of authority and decidedly dismissive of hypocrisy.
I work hard to be a teacher who is compassionate and available for my students. I try to notice new haircuts, braces and expressions of style. The students seem to appreciate that I’ve noticed something about them.
My students know that I love to teach—particularly, I love to teach math! I have fun with math and often tell corny math jokes or share cartoons, try to use creative and highly interactive ways of learning and review. The students respond very well to these. I believe it helps remove a lot of the fear of math and makes coming for extra help feel less intimidating.
I recently experienced my first Parent’s Night as a teacher. Using an exit slip strategy similar to the one’s their student’s see in class, I gathered some information from the