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In what ways do you feel you currently nurture your students? How have you seen this impact them?
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As a student teacher in the public school and homeschool teacher of my own children, I have nurtured my students by taking the time to connect with them. When I was student-teaching, I would spend every morning sitting with the students and letting everyone share something interesting they wanted to share with the course. This helped build community in the classroom, and I saw how they saw me as someone they could trust. Treating each student equally, made each of them feel valued. They also seemed to gain confidence in their academic work. I want students to know I take interest in them and that I believe in them.
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I try to find out what is important to students outside of the math classroom. Then, I try to connect with them on a level other than math content. I try to stay connected to graduates when possible and I try to talk with students about topics other than math when I see them outside of the classroom.
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It is my aim to make my students feel loved and nurtured everyday. I am intentional about greeting each of them with a smile each morning and using their name as they enter. I want my classroom to be an environment of positivity as much as possible. I praise them often and publicly for their diligence, kindness to one another, caring for one another, hard work, improved work, their obedience, listening skills, and whatever else I possibly can. I offer grace when I can, but I also have very high standards for them. I know they might not perceive that as love and nurture, but I know I am preparing them for what comes next. I encourage them continually that we are a team. That means we look out for one another, encourage and help each other, and support each other as much as possible. Since I am an elementary teacher I also make sure to hug the kids that I know really need that from me. I may never know the full impact all that I do has on my students. It will impact some students more than others I am sure. I do see that it creates a sense of trust and feelings of safety. Sometimes the little notes they write do let me know that they are feeling cared for by me.
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As an ESL teacher, I usually have small courses and even one on one courses. So this allows me to get to know my students well. I am often aware of what is going on in their lives and show concern and offer help and advice. This is especially true of my older students. They have come to me for help with things that are new for them, like selecting and registering for high school courses or understanding what a Pep Rally is. I think my students feel that they can come to me to get help navigating their way around the school and this has helped them to settle in and feel a part of the community.
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I feel that I nurture my students by listening to their conversations, assist with struggles and treating all fairly. I want to be able to encourage them to not be afraid to try and succeed, and try and fail. I had 2 high school courses of 9th-12th graders. The skill levels were all over the place. I had to try to challenge some and encourage others. Some students wanted feedback to make their artwork better. There were others who I had to be careful not to gently show ways to improve without making them think they had done something wrong.