Teachers, although sometimes it may not seem like it, have much more influence on the behavior of students than their closest and closest social circle may have. For this reason, the choice of teachers is not left to chance at all, and they are people who must face harsh tests and hard studies to get to teach one day not too distant from others. But what happens when we transmit to other messages that we ourselves are not aware of ?
Many teachers strive to keep improving and learning every day, and they look for new ways of applying teaching to the new times and new ways also to attract the attention and interest of students towards learning. In this sense, the development of emotional intelligence plays a very important role, as it can be very effective in getting to know ourselves well and in provoking in students that change to which they are expected to arrive, as professionals and as people.
For example, if we are people who tend to get very angry about anything or do not admit our faults, the message will be that being wrong is a mistake or a shame that must be avoided at all costs. And taking this into account is very important, because the truth is that teachers often tend to idealize themselves, forgetting that teachers are imperfect human beings just like the rest. This means that it is logical that teachers are also wrong and, although it is something natural we should reflect on it, because the truth is that our actions have effects that can significantly influence the behavior and thoughts and actions of others.
So what can we do? The good news is that we can all work to be able to change those mistakes that we make without being conscious , and self-knowledge, acceptance and delicacy play a very important role. That is why it is necessary for every teacher to learn to work on sensitivity and to be inserted into a spiral of continuous improvement, just as it is necessary for others to stop continually focusing on a professional group that knows how to do their job and that strives to improve it. day after day.
What a teacher can do to improve your sensitivity
Sensitivity and empathy move the world, and that is why working on this aspect of ourselves can be the key to reaching students more easily, understanding them and putting ourselves in their shoes.
Some of the things that a teacher can try to work in this regard are:
- Seeking psychological help frequently
It is not necessary that you have a specific problem to go to a psychologist, because it is actually something very healthy that can help us to organize ideas, priorities, etc. Verifying the behaviors that are had in front of the students can work as a mirror of our own reality, because sometimes these realities remain hidden and we are not aware of why we act as we do. Conversation with a professional psychologist will help to focus on details that were overlooked and will not only improve sensitivity, but will also make the treatment of students, or someone in particular, much more conscientious and professional.
- Work on empathy as a teacher
Classrooms with greater discipline problems can improve, at times, increasing the teacher’s own capacity for empathy. Empathy is the ability of a person to put themselves in the role of the other, and that is why this is often necessary to also understand the behavior of students. And for teachers to be able to put themselves in the role of their students, they must make an effort to learn more about the reality of each of their students, especially the most “undisciplined” or with the greatest learning problems.
- Practice introspection and reflection
There is nothing better to get to know others than to know yourself very well. Understanding our fears, preferences, likes and dislikes as teachers will help to understand why it is easy to get along with one type of student and more difficult to get along with others. Reflect on whether when you address students to correct them, you do so based on themselves or their behavior or participation in the classroom. Remember that corrections should always be made on behaviors.
- Accept the mistake as part of any human being
All people have the right to make mistakes, but not all exercise their duty to apologize to the people most affected by their mistakes, which often happens out of pride or similar emotions. Mistakes have consequences that must be assumed, and a simple statement of the error can help improve the lives of others. When a teacher sets an example by stating their mistakes publicly, they certainly give students a lesson in humility that they will never forget .
Sometimes the teachers who mark the most are not even those who teach the best, but those who better understand each other with their students and who have left the greatest mark on them . Without a doubt, a good message for all those teachers who seek to change the lives of their students.
