Dr. Edward Roy Krishnan

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It’s easy to say, “Teachers must understand their students and fulfill their needs on a daily basis.” But what does the act of ‘understanding students’ entail? If it is as easy as it is taught and learned in teachers’ training colleges, why is it still seen as an uncommon practice at schools?

Being understood gives rise to a sense of acceptance and belonging. It is an essential human need for survival and growth. It removes the frustration of being misperceived.

On the other hand, when people misunderstand us, their construal of ‘who we are’ become distorted. The image that we want to portray to others is inaccurately projected. Consequently, the feeling of being misunderstood creates an acute discomfort and the desire to remove oneself from social situations.

Therefore, ‘understanding a student’ is only possible when a teacher accurately perceives and accepts the student’s true self. This is a challenging task, especially if a teacher is required to ‘understand’ twenty or more ‘selves’ all at one time, on a daily basis! Nevertheless, it is a task that a caring teacher performs, steadily!

According to Social Psychology, humans attempt to reduce the usage of mental energy while engaging in social interactions by utilizing mental shortcuts known as ‘heuristics’ (to ease social cognition). These mental shortcuts serve as ‘rules of thumb’ to help people construe meaning from a myriad of social situations and stimuli they are exposed to. Heuristics are used to accomplish the following, in social interactions:

1. Making judgments about an individual’s group membership (e.g.: “Indians eat spicy food. You are an Indian. You eat spicy food.”)
2. Making judgments about something or someone with whatever information that comes to mind easily (e.g.: “Tsunami affected Indonesia very badly. Indonesia is still recovering from the aftermath of the Tsunami.” – we tend to forget other countries that might be facing similar difficulties because the news media rigorously publicized the effects of Tsunami in Indonesia, and failed to feature the problems in other countries affected by the Tsunami)

Although heuristics are useful for human functioning, taking the effects of such mental shortcuts for granted, and engaging in them without a deliberate reflection, can pose adverse repercussion for the people involved in an interaction. When a teacher solely relies on mental shortcuts to learn about and relate to his/her students, the teaching-learning relationship does not involve true ‘understanding’.

There are no short-cuts for wanting to genuinely understand students in the classroom. Teachers need to take the time and make the effort to get involved in the process of familiarizing themselves with students and their lives in order to understand and cater for their every need. Unwillingness to do so will only communicate indifference and a lack of care on the part of a teacher!

Teachers who rely on mental shortcuts to make decisions (or form judgments) about ‘who their students really are’ might engage in prejudiced thinking, discriminate, and display biases in all aspects of teaching. This is dangerous because a classroom characterized by prejudice, discrimination and bias is a classroom that students fear to attend and learn.

A caring teacher carefully ‘studies’ each student and construes meaning about his/her ‘self’ as accurately as possible. A caring teacher does not engage in and conform to stereotypical thinking patterns that are usually unfounded and negative.

Understanding students involves ‘knowing’ them. Genuine knowing is possible when teachers learn to relate to students in a more personal way, without relying on their mental shortcuts (to save energy that would be wasted anyway?). Instead, a caring teacher, lets time and relationship reveal ‘who a student really is’ and appreciates him/her as a person!

Examples of instances when heuristics work against relationships in the classroom:

1. When a teacher concludes that all students from low socio-economic background would not do well in the classroom
2. When a teacher associates ‘intelligence’ with good looks
3. When a teacher judges a student’s personality traits based on his/her ethnic background
4. When a ‘male’ teacher decides that no amount of effort would help a ‘female’ student to excel in science or math
5. When a teacher conveniently punishes ‘male’ students because they are supposedly ‘violent’ and aggressive by nature

Copyright April 2006 by Dr. Edward Roy Krishnan, www.affectiveteaching.com

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In life, we do many things to secure the attention of others around us. This attention indicates that we are accepted and appreciated. It further tells us that our thoughts and actions are approved and recognized as being worthy of notice. Similarly, a teacher does many things in the classroom to get the attention of other colleagues, administrators, and students. This is a natural tendency of any teacher. In fact, it is a ‘growth need’ that must be fulfilled for meaningful living. It is not unusual for teachers to expect to be appreciated and approved of their classroom practices. The positive attention given to teachers serves as a motivator to help them find meaning for being a teacher!

Some teachers expect more than just simple attention. They strive to become the ‘center of attention’ in the classroom and at school. They desire to bask in the undivided attention and adoration of everyone in the school toward themselves. They do everything possible to attain this goal and keep it that way. Sometimes, all other goals as a teacher become less important than the need to have everyone’s attention on oneself and gain popularity!

However, the effort to become a caring teacher does not lead to popularity. The path takes a teacher to a place where something more beautiful than popularity comes to view.

Popularity requires that teachers let go of some of their deep rooted principles and compromise in giving students and others ‘what they want or desire’ (with no apparent benefit for them or others). However, a caring teacher doesn’t give students and others with what they want or desire. Instead, he continually strives to provide them with ‘what is good for them’ (clearly beneficial and uplifting for them and others). In other words, a caring teacher pushes students and others to do the ‘right thing’. He does not do things to please each and every member of the school to gain popularity.

Where does all this take a caring teacher? Well, although the path does not lead a caring teacher to become popular, it does lead him to become a RESPECTED individual.

Respect is gained when popularity is sacrificed! A caring teacher strives to gain the respect of his students and others around him. He doesn’t worry about popularity and pleasing everyone to become the center of attention. By doing so, a caring teacher upholds principles and truths that are universally empowering and permanently affecting people to uphold ‘humanity’.

Respect gained in the classroom, by a caring teacher, is a more stable indicator of positive teaching/learning experiences and greater academic achievements at school. Popularity on the other hand, dies as quickly as a teacher loses his temper and decides that he is tired of pleasing people and fulfilling their ‘silly’ needs.

Copyright April 2006 by Dr. Edward Roy Krishnan, www.affectiveteaching.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Do we have the Time to Care for Students?

Teaching poses a variety of challenges. Teachers are responsible and accountable to many people, institutions, and organizations, be it formal or informal. They have to plan for, prepare, and implement a myriad of demanding tasks. Instructing, grading, reporting, disciplining, supporting, and communicating are few of the many tasks expected from a teacher. if this is the case, where do teachers find the time to care for students? As we know, care is a deliberate, effortful, and timestaking process. If teachers are not relieved from some of their existing responsibilities, can they be expected to become caring toward their students?

Perhaps the problem lies in the question itself. Can teachers be relieved from their existing responsibilities? It is evident that responsibilities only add up. Any teacher would agree that the demands to engage in more and more responsibilities at school are inevitable. So, this is not an option to consider. In fact, if a teacher fails to perform any of these, he is likely to be reprimanded and possibly fired! Reducing work load isn’t a clear way out from this situation.

The act of caring shouldn’t be seen and considered to operate at the ‘periphery’ of the act of teaching. It would be wise and practical to integrate the act of caring for students in ALL THAT A TEACHER DOES, whether it is inside or outside of the classroom. As I said in the book, “How to Become a Caring Teacher”, students will not trust a teacher who teaches something and does something totally contrary to what he teaches. The act of caring should color every activity, every atmosphere, every person, every responsibility, and every interaction in and outside of the classroom

This is possible through the “rose model” to classroom teaching and interaction. If you take a closer look at a rose flower, you will realize that the petals are closely intertwined. A daisy, on the other hand, has petals that are separated and distinctly visible. So, in the daisy, one sees each petal; whereas, in the rose, one sees the whole flower without regard to individual petals.

A caring teacher’s responsibilities (like the many petals in a rose) are coated with his ability to care for his students. Every act and effort made in the classroom are marked by the intention to cater to the ‘humanity’ of an individual student. Thus, following the rose model, ‘care’ is at the core of everything a teacher does.

Does caring for students take time?

Yes it does, if a teacher considers ‘caring’ as one of the many responsibilities (the daisy model) imposed on him.

No it doesn’t, if a teacher considers ‘caring’ as the ingredient that holds all other responsibilities together and give meaning and efficiency to them!

The choice…is YOURS!

Copyright April 2006 by Dr. Edward Roy Krishnan, www.affectiveteaching.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]