Respect
Respect of other people is a vital part of a functioning, healthy society. Giving respect to others seems to be a common mantra, at least in the high school I went to....
It is extremely important that those of us who work with students give them all the respect they deserve and more. Why? Because these students are the future--and that is not just a buzz-phrase. They may very well be your boss, representative, or even the guy coming to fix the plumbing in your house....and if they remember you as the technician, teacher or educator who yelled at them (or otherwise acted negatively toward them) how is that going to affect your future professional relationship?
Seems like when I was going to school, respect seemed to be mainly a one-way street with some teachers. My classmates and I had to give our teachers and authority respect, but we were just little grubmuffins who didn't deserve the time of day. Obviously, this more the exception to the rule rather than a blanket statement, but the exceptions make a difference--in this case, negatively.
So, you may be asking yourself, why would a computer technician be concerned about giving respect to students? I think that it's a common rut to fall into. I've been out of high school for almost four years now (which seems like forever ago), so you'd think I could still relate to the students at the high school. That is indeed the case to some extent; however, I found myself falling into a pattern of thinking that I didn't like. I was seeing them as obstacles to my job, not the reason for my job. Walking through the halls of the high school, I would try to get to my destination as fast as possible, with as little or not contact with the students as possible. My thinking was I'm not a teacher, so why should I bother with the students? They're just in my way.
This thinking all changed the other day. I'm not sure exactly what triggered the change, but I realized what I was doing--essentially avoiding the students at all costs. Instead, I decided to try to enhance their experience as students, give them opportunity to interact with more than just their teacher and other students, give them an idea of what it takes to keep a school district running, and possibly help their education in technology by being more willing to talk and interact. I'm excited about this new attitude, and am still a little befuddled on how I got away from that in the first place. Hopefully writing this blopost will further solidify my thinking and perhaps encourage others to think the same way.
It is extremely important that those of us who work with students give them all the respect they deserve and more. Why? Because these students are the future--and that is not just a buzz-phrase. They may very well be your boss, representative, or even the guy coming to fix the plumbing in your house....and if they remember you as the technician, teacher or educator who yelled at them (or otherwise acted negatively toward them) how is that going to affect your future professional relationship?
Seems like when I was going to school, respect seemed to be mainly a one-way street with some teachers. My classmates and I had to give our teachers and authority respect, but we were just little grubmuffins who didn't deserve the time of day. Obviously, this more the exception to the rule rather than a blanket statement, but the exceptions make a difference--in this case, negatively.
So, you may be asking yourself, why would a computer technician be concerned about giving respect to students? I think that it's a common rut to fall into. I've been out of high school for almost four years now (which seems like forever ago), so you'd think I could still relate to the students at the high school. That is indeed the case to some extent; however, I found myself falling into a pattern of thinking that I didn't like. I was seeing them as obstacles to my job, not the reason for my job. Walking through the halls of the high school, I would try to get to my destination as fast as possible, with as little or not contact with the students as possible. My thinking was I'm not a teacher, so why should I bother with the students? They're just in my way.
This thinking all changed the other day. I'm not sure exactly what triggered the change, but I realized what I was doing--essentially avoiding the students at all costs. Instead, I decided to try to enhance their experience as students, give them opportunity to interact with more than just their teacher and other students, give them an idea of what it takes to keep a school district running, and possibly help their education in technology by being more willing to talk and interact. I'm excited about this new attitude, and am still a little befuddled on how I got away from that in the first place. Hopefully writing this blopost will further solidify my thinking and perhaps encourage others to think the same way.
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