This Is How Elementary Teachers Should Treat Students

Elementary school teachers are responsible for teaching multiple subjects to a group of students for an academic year that takes months. Therefore, knowing the proper way to treat these students is essential.

Elementary teachers should treat students with respect and fairness. They must listen to their students’ concerns and motivate them so that they’ll be able to learn effectively. It’s also beneficial for elementary teachers to have some sense of humor when dealing with students.

This article will explore how elementary teachers should treat their students, whether in the classroom or outside school premises. Keep reading to learn more.

Table of Contents

Elementary Teachers Should Treat Students With Respect

As the saying goes, respect begets respect. If teachers want to be respected inside and outside the classroom, they should be able to respect their students just like how they respect other people in their lives.

Although elementary students are young, they’re still human beings with their own thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. They’re capable of doing things, and they should get the dignity they deserve.

Being respectful to your students helps create a conducive learning environment. If you respect them for who they are, they’ll be more driven and work harder to follow your instructions and expectations. This ultimately results in increased social and emotional development, not to mention better academic outcomes.

On the other hand, if a teacher fails to respect their students, it will lead to a breakdown of the classroom environment, leading to behavior issues and impacting the learning process negatively.

Elementary Teachers Should Treat Students With Fairness

Connected with extending respect to everyone, it’s also essential for teachers to treat their students fairly.

Teachers should treat everyone equally regardless of:

Gender
Background
Ethnicity

Personal biases and prejudices

However, treating everyone equally doesn’t equate to having a single approach toward your students. Teachers must tailor-fit their strategy according to the needs of each student to provide them with an equal chance to participate and learn.

For instance, there may be a student who has been excelling in a specific subject. You can give this student an enrichment activity to further challenge and deepen their understanding. You can ask the student to prepare an additional research task on the particular topic to promote independent inquiry-based learning.

However, there may be another student who has been lagging in class, in which case you will have to provide additional support so that they can access and participate in the learning.

In an article by Dr. Grant Martin, he suggested the following ways to ensure you can treat your students fairly:

Let the students take part in creating their learning goals. This allows the student to reflect and take ownership of their learning, taking them from a passive role to a more active one.

Provide opportunities that accommodate multiple learning styles. Not every student has the same learning style, so the teacher must recognize them and tackle how they can deliver their lesson so everyone can be involved.
Provide students with opportunities to choose how they demonstrate their learning. Giving students choices can be extremely meaningful as they will connect with the material better, thus enjoying the learning process more. As long as they can show evidence of the learning being applied, it shouldn’t matter how it’s done.
Teach students the skills to be successful in learning. Important skills like note-taking, research, and collaboration are things that students will need and use throughout their educational journey. Learning and practicing these at the elementary level ensures that all students are better equipped to overcome any academic challenges.

Use various assessment strategies. Standardized testing should not be the only form of assessing progress. Portfolios and performance tasks can provide a better picture of how much a child has learned and developed.
Plan ways to group students for various classroom activities. As much as possible, plan mixed-ability activities to promote peer learning. When the more capable students share their understanding with the lower-achieving students, it is a constructive experience for both sets of children.

Elementary Teachers Should Treat Students With an Appropriate Sense of Humor

A famous proverb says, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Teachers must be able to relate to their students with a sense of humor that is appropriate for their age. Learning should be a fun experience so that students can enjoy being part of it.

Young children are likely to be less engaged in the lesson if the teacher is too strict and serious.

In an article published by the American Psychological Association, Dr. Drew Appleby conducted a study about utilizing humor in his psychology classes with college students as participants. In it, Dr. Appleby found that students noticeably enjoyed their class more when their teacher used humor in lesson delivery, making learning and having fun simultaneously possible.

However, in the same study, Dr. Appleby has suggested avoiding using the following when trying to use humor in your classroom:

Jokes that embarrass or humiliate students.
Humor that students don’t get because they don’t necessarily understand the context.
Jokes that aren’t connected or relevant to the lesson or activity.

Jokes that have reference to violence, sexual content, or discrimination against marginalized groups.
Humor that has been told in an awkward or rehearsed way where the teacher appears to be ”trying too hard to be funny.”

You can refer to topics students find amusing, like a video or cartoon. Promoting laughter puts everyone at ease and allows your students to see you as a fun and likable teacher.

Elementary Teachers Should Listen to Their Students Attentively

Listening to your students can be a great way to foster a positive relationship. Doing so will make your students feel cared for and heard. When you listen to your students, you show interest in hearing their concerns and knowing them beyond their grades and performance in school.

Here are some tips to ensure active listening with your students:

Pay attention to them when they talk to you. Your student must have your undivided attention and try to avoid distractions during your conversation. Don’t be thinking of your response while listening, as it can only distract you from understanding your student’s thoughts and feelings.

Use your body language to show that you’re listening to your student. You can nod, smile, or encourage your student to continue talking by saying “yes” or “go on.” Try also to maintain eye contact to assure your student that you’re focused on what they’re saying.
You can paraphrase what they have said to show that you have listened and understood. You can also ask clarificatory questions for further information and engagement during the conversation.
Refrain from interrupting your student while they’re talking. Allow them to finish sharing their thoughts before asking questions or giving your thoughts about what they told you.

Offer advice or opinions only when your student asks you. Sometimes, students only want to be heard and have someone listening to them, so don’t feel inclined to give your opinion or advice unless prompted by the student.
Be honest and respectful in your response. You can assert your thoughts, but you should do it in a way that won’t intentionally hurt your student’s feelings or make them uncomfortable.

Elementary Teachers Should Motivate Their Students

Becoming a teacher involves motivating your students. It’s one of the most critical and challenging aspects of teaching because students won’t learn effectively if the teacher fails to encourage them to participate in class discussions and activities actively.

There will be students who are naturally motivated due to their love of learning, but there will also be others who are apathetic toward school for one reason or another. It’s a teacher’s duty to put in place strategies that will boost the motivation of these students so they don’t get left behind.

Here are some tips to motivate your students in your class:

Promote a growth mindset by praising them for their efforts and hard work instead of their abilities. Alluding to academic ability will result in some students feeling inferior to their peers, leading to a loss of motivation. Instead, commenting on hard work and effort – things that all students are capable of demonstrating – can potentially motivate the entire class.

Provide timely and constructive feedback. Students should receive regular feedback from formative and summative assessments to update them on their progress. If a child is aware that they are improving – however small or big it may be – they will be more motivated to keep making strides. It also allows students to be more reflective on their own development, making them more self-aware of areas they can work on further.
Develop respectful relationships with your students. As discussed above, respecting your students helps create a conducive learning environment. A conducive learning environment contributes to your student’s motivation to learn.
Set clear learning goals and high expectations for behavior and academic work. It’s essential to set clear goals to ensure students understand what you expect them to do and achieve. In addition, be sure you support them whenever they face difficulties or challenges in meeting those goals and expectations. Students will be more motivated if they feel supported through their struggles. Similarly, be clear about your expectations regarding behavior.

Give rewards for a job well done. Positive reinforcement can go a long way to motivating your students to participate. It could be an incentive for an activity or a sticker stamp that can make your students happy and inspired. Praise from a teacher acknowledges and reinforces good behavior, effort, and attitude.

For more information about ways to motivate your students, here is a YouTube video by Teachings in Education:

Final Thoughts

Teachers must treat their students like any other person, with respect and fairness. To ensure that their students develop and achieve in the best possible way, teachers should also listen to and motivate students within an engaging environment that should provide equal opportunities for everyone to learn.

Finally, given that they are young children, making the classroom fun with an appropriate level of humor should also be on the list of how elementary teachers should treat their students.