Respect

Respect:

Webster's dictionary defines respect with the words--honor, esteem, consideration, and regard; and I would have to agree that the above words do help define respect. I would go a step further and continue to define respect as a privilege, something that is earned, something that takes hard work and effort to build and can be, unfortunately, easily destroyed. Needless to say, I do believe lost respect can be regained. Respect is very complex. One can respect someone or something completely or just respect parts of someone or something, for various reasons. Though is is not a good answer to the question--"What is respect?" I think that it is part of the beauty of respect, as it is a concept that means something a little different to everyone.

As for respect in the classroom, I think it looks a little something like this. The room is controlled. When students work, they work quietly. When the teacher talks, students are engaged and participate when necessary. There is an understanding between the students and the teacher. The teacher is in charge of the classroom and the students in the classroom are here to learn. This is not to say there is no room for fun in the classroom. The teacher should have a decent rapport with their students. This is to say that when something funny happens, for example, whether by accident or on purpose, the laughter and humor is shared by both the teacher and the students. However, with respect, the focus of the class is not lost in such an event, and the lesson can resume in a timely manner. Besides classroom control, I feel respect runs much deeper. Respect must be somehow establish. This is not an easy task, and probably is achieved in more ways then I can think of. However, students have to be empowered by their teacher to take pride in their work. How does a teacher do this? A teacher must be knowledgeable in their area of expertise, they have to be passionate about their subject, they have to be inspiring, they should make their classes interesting and worthwhile, and the teacher needs to be demanding. If a teacher sets high standards, they need to empower and help their students reach those standards. This will help students take pride in their work. Teachers must also be strict. They cannot tolerate unruly behavior. This is not to say that teachers should be authoritarian, just that they should expect that their students will respect both them and each other. On the other hand, teachers must give respect to students who deserve it.

In the end, respect is a necessity in the classroom. With it, learning can be accomplished more efficiently and both students and teachers alike will benefit from the respect and learn more then just about the subject being taught. In a classroom without respect, however, students will not learn the life lessons that can be gleaned from a classroom or the academic lessons being taught. It is as simple as that, students and teachers need to be respected, and the teaching learning process will be that much more successful.