how do you be a well liked teacher yet very strict?

Question

its sometimes hard to friend and have to punish them at the same time.

Answer 1

Set firm and fair rules. Depending on the age of the child, post them on the wall.

Be consistant in any punishment you give out.

Do not play sides, if 2 (or more) kids are involved, they ALL should be in trouble. Do not care who started it and who finished it.

Think of things you can do to make your class the funnest (yet learn the most) class in the school.

Everytime I have led children I have always been the strictest, yet the most fun. Do wacky experiments. Have a cheese & pop hour under a tree on a beautiful spring day. Find really fun books the kids want to read. Play games for learning.

Be the best you can be, our kids futures depend on you!

Answer 2

I walk the same line everyday! I think you need to set the ground rules early, let them know that this IS how it is going to be and then give them a little bit of time to get used to the system. If everything goes well, and they get the idea, if is much easier to let down your guard a little and have a good time with your students.

I have found that doing this keeps me from having to be outwardly strict all of the time. My students know what is expected of them and that there will be consequences if they are not following the rules. They know that when this happens, fun and friendship is put on a shelf for a while until they are showing me that they are ready for it again.

It is definitely true that you don't want to punish all of them, but sometimes peer pressure works. If the good kids are upset enough to want to continue with whatever fun we were having, they will stop talking to the ones who are messing things up.

I know it's a fine line to walk, but keep doing whatever works and try new things out. I am very honest with my class that this is just as much about learning for me as it is for them!

Answer 3

It may sound a little harsh but your job (I am a teacher as well) is not to be their friend. You are mentor and role model and are supposed to teach skills and attitudes. That does not, however, mean that you cannot be "friendly" and kind and fair. In my experience kids need (and most want) defined boundaries. It makes their world in the classroom predictable and safe. It is in this type of environment that kids will learn best, and it also allows a teacher to teach. Let them know you truly care about them, yet do it in an atmosphere where rules are expected to be followed. We are authority figures whether we like it or not, and school is often the only place in a kid's life where they are expected to behave, expected to work, and expected to get along with others.

One thing I have always done each September is to have the kids be a big part of in the making of the classroom rules. In my experience they know as much as I do about what makes a good and functional classroom and what does not. If they believe they have a hand in creating the rules . . . they are much more likely to abide by them.

Answer 4

Well, you can never be universally liked - remember fairness is paramount, don't be tempted to overlook bad behaviour, because not only will the child, rather than thinking you a friend, think of you as a soft touch, other students will resent you for it. My brother's class used to have a rather barbaric point scoring system for how often they could make a particularly soft teacher cry in a lesson.

Be funny and nice in lessons - until they misbehave. For a while give out detentions like sweets - they'll dislike you at first, but get used to behaving in your class... and just be sarcastic and funny and share jokes with them, and eventually it'll all pull together.

Answer 5

Whenever you see a student outside of your class say Hi very quickly and smile very big. In class be very energentic ( making funny faces when you talk or laugh is good)then when your upset they will take you more seriously if they see that you are mad. Stop talking at all. As soon as you get there attention say something like "I am sitting here and I am very dissapointed with you! Or "I'm spitting mad at the end!" instead. With feeling! After you say that you have to switch back to be smiling and they should still be in shock but you have to ignore it and move on. But you can't be upset very often or it won't give the shock factor! Only untolerable stuff!

Answer 6

What is strict?
"Strict", to me means having tough, yet acessable behavioral and academic standards.
Lay them out for the students.
Periodically remind them of these standards (in a PROFESSIONAL way: no shouting/bullying/"Woody Allen-esque" apologetics, etc.).
Always stick to your guns (don't waver on your standards).

"Well-liked" for me has been to make myself accessable to the students with regard to questions about the subject matter ("Please see me after class about XYZ, if it's still unclear", etc.),
helping them with questions about assignments from other classes (i.e., sitting after school with them to help them with a research project, homework, or finding someone on the staff with the expertise/willingness to do the same, etc.).
It should be noted that some students may try to "play" (take advantage of) you, but you can push them in the right direction once this happens.

Once you make yourself available to the students, give them every opportunity to succeed (note the term: opportunity).

They will eventually perceive you as the kind of person who will give them clearly defined boundaries (they really DO want this, trust me ...), and straight answers.

My school has some truly dysfunctional bullies who treat the students with contempt (yes, they're teachers), and we had some dysfunctional administrators in the recent past who supported these bullies' heavy-handed treatment.

These people hated my guts for YEARS when I was still a classroom teacher, because the students genuinely seemed to like me (most of these students -80+%- ended up in college).

Now that I teach P.E., I have the toughest class in the entire school, bar none, and the students ALL shout my name when they see me on campus.
I actually have students trying to transfer INTO my classes during the school year.
I guess the fact that I now have a class which EVERYONE on campus can see had the unanticipated benefit of putting these "bully teachers" in their place, and the rest of the students on campus with the desire to be in my P.E. classes.

Go figure .... (;=]

Answer 7

dont be to strict or else they wont like you but be strict enough so they know your the teacher and your not messing around but still you dont want your class to hate you oh and just punish the ones that are goofing off dont punish the whole class for something just one or two ppl did.

Answer 8

Do you want to be well-liked or respected? I think that if you are respected being well-liked falls hand-in-hand. You gain respect by showing respect. This doesn't mean only towards your peers and mentors, but towards your students as well. Be fair yet tactful. Stand up for what you believe in. Lead by example. Keep things fun and interesting. Show compassion and understanding. Best wishes!

Answer 9

If you focus on being a friend, you'll never be a teacher. If you focus on being a teacher, you'll find that you have a surprising number of friends.

Remember, you can't please all the people all the time. To even try that is an exercise in futility.

Answer 10

You have to be strict, but fair, plus be entertaining. Keep them amused and interested.