During this holiday season, I thought it would be fun to use the word Christmas and apply it to education.
Today’s letter is T and T stands for Time.
Time includes punctuality, wait time, patience.
Being on time is important and it means you respect the other person. By showing up early or on time, you are letting the other person know that you value them. When you are late, you are being disrespectful and saying that your time is more valuable than theirs. I want my students to know how important they are to me so I am always early to class. This is also a way that I can be a role model for them.
Time also means giving people time to answer your questions. Too many times in the classroom, teachers ask a question and do not give the student time to answer. This rush for an answer can confuse and even intimidate the student. Sometimes it may be important to say that you will give them time to think of the answer and come back to them. Don’t be in a hurry to answer it for them or ask someone else to help them. Show them that you have faith that they will come up with an answer. I also like to toss out the question to the whole class but not let anyone answer it for a few minutes. Then I will ask students to give me a “thumbs up” if they know the answer and I can call on one of them. The ones with their thumbs down can learn the answer for next time.
Patience is also involved in teaching. Sometimes the students won’t catch on to the skill the first time and will need more practice. Don’t rush them through a lesson if they haven’t mastered the skill. It is more important to have mastery than to push through some arbitrary timetable. What I may think is easy, may not be easy for my students. If the student can’t seem to master the skill, it might be worthwhile to see if a peer can help them learn it. Sometimes a peer is more helpful than the teacher.
How do you show your students that time is important? Please share.
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