The Teacher Student Relationship is so important

There was a lot of interesting and valuable information in this course. One of the things that I found most interesting was learning about is how important the teacher-student relationship is. I’ve always known that it is integral to have a good relationship with you students and create an environment where they feel safe and supported. What I found really interesting though is how a positive and strong teacher-student relationship can help to counter act many other negative influences or situations students may be encountering in their lives. I think the most valuable information that I took away from this course is what it means to be a 21st century learner. The education world is constantly changing and it is our job to adapt and make changes along with it.

We need to prepare our students to be citizens in both the “dirt” and “digital” world. I had never thought of the internet as being a whole separate entity on its own, as being a “digital world.” I now realize how important it is that we educate children about the identity they create in digital world and how it effects how they will be portrayed.

This course has better prepared me to help maintain Safety, Order undefined Rights in my school. I know have the tools I need to work towards intervening and preventing both bullying and cyber-bullying in my school. I and my school have taken steps towards preventing bullying in the “dirt” world but we need to also move in the direction of educating students about the effects of their behaviors in the “digital” world. In order to maintain Safety, Order and Rights, my school needs to not only address bullying but cyber-bullying as well.

It is important to educate our students about cyber-bullying and ensure sure that they are fully involved and engaged in the topic. As a teacher I need to make sure these lessons are student centered and not following a lecture format where the students are listening to a list of dos and don’ts. The students need to feel safe in their learning environment so that they are able to participate in class and peer discussions on the topic. When students discuss these sensitive topics together they are often better able to understand how their words or actions online are affecting the person on the other end of the computer screen. When talking face to face with each other the students may become more empathetic and better utilize their executive function skills in the future.