Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Students of Poverty A new teacher at Mr. Roberts school is having a hard time earning the respect of his students. The majority of the students come from poverty, and they have tendencies that demonstrate disrespect. One of those is eye contact when being talked to and another is students laughing when they are being redirected in front of their peers. Mr. Roberts knows that students of poverty respond better when being reprimanded in private and praised in public. He doesn't want to step on the new teacher's toes, but wants to help this teacher in this regard. What is the best way to do this? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I think the best way to try to help Mr. Roberts is to ask him if he would like some advice or pointers on gaining respect from his students. I assume that anyone would be willing to accept advice if they are struggling with their work, but it is always respectful to ask since he might not be open to suggestions. If he declines any advice, then you must leave it at that and hopefully once he gets to know you better he will come back to ask for help on his own time. Some advice that I would give Mr. Roberts is to start doing some community and trust building activities with his students. If he is teaching elementary, a great way to start off each day is with a Morning Meeting. Morning meetings are short introductions to the day that open up a welcoming space for students to get in the right mindset for school and participate in activities to get to know one another and you as a teacher. This is harder to do in middle and high school since the classes change more frequently, but finding 5 minutes at the start of class to do a quick stretch or meditation with older students can work just as well. Another important way to gain students' trust and respect is through getting to know them and their cultures. Finding activities that allow students to incorporate their families and cultures into the classroom lets them know that you as a teacher care about and want to get to know them as a person; that they are not just another name on a roster. Students who come from low socioeconomic households may feel very misunderstood by educators and immediately assume that they are judged by those residing outside of their communities. It is essential that teachers in these schools let their students know that the students come first and that their voices and opinions matter. Using active listening is a great way to establish this healthy communication between teachers and students.