Bad teacher relationship

Introduction

Teachers play important roles in ensuring students grow academically, mentally, emotionally and physically. Children spend time with teachers even more than they spend with their families. Teachers therefore are responsible for the academic and social development of children. Positive teacher relationships enables children feel safe and appreciated and thus ensure that the learning environment is the best for the children. Teachers who form positive bonds with children are able to involve children actively in the classrooms. On the other hand teachers who have bad relationships with children lead to poor academic performance and social development in children. Therefore this paper will focus on bad teacher relationship and using the Bronfenbrenner’s model, explain how the bad relationships affect children learning and development.

Some students and teachers develop good relationship from the start while others take time (Scarlett, Ponte & Singh, 2009). Unfortunately other some teachers and students do not develop positive relationships because of some ongoing conflicts between them (Vitto, 2003).  Poor or rather bad relationships are resulted due to bonds being broken because of some conflicts. Teachers can fight with students for some reasons such as; students failing to finish assignments in time, students disobeying the teachers, students coming late for lessons or missing the lessons, some teachers being insensitive, teacher bullying, and some teachers being discriminative among other many reasons (Scarlett, Ponte & Singh, 2009). Some teachers form poor relationships with students even where students do not pose any danger towards the teacher. Teachers are expected to ensure they form good and working relationships with the students so that students can grow all round and eventually perform well academically. It is the role of the teacher to mend broken relationships with students since teachers should exercise good judgment with students (Scarlett, Ponte & Singh, 2009).

Personally the bad teacher relationship would affect me as a student since I look up to teachers as my role models and seek advice from them.  I ensure that I avoid circumstances that will lead to conflicts between me and the teachers. For instance I ensure I hand in my assignments in time, get along with the teachers well since I show them respect and I do not fail to attend the classes. I have seen some of my classmates fight with the teachers over the same issues over and over again while the conflicts can be prevented by the students. I have not witnessed cases of teacher bullying, teachers handling students badly or teachers being discriminative in our school. This shows that in my school, teachers are provoked by students since students fail to do whatever is right and instead end up fighting with the teachers. Being an obedient student has enabled me form strong relationships with almost all teachers and this has boosted my academic performance. I treat teachers as my second parents and rely on them for advice and this has worked out for me. I not only get along with the teachers but students as well showing that good teacher relationship ensure a student grows all round and feels appreciated at all times.

Bronfenbrenner came up with the Ecological Systems Theory that explains that characteristics of the external environment which the child is exposed to and the inborn character traits of a child determine the growth and development of that child (Shaffer, 2009). This theory shows the importance of exposing a child to multiple ecological systems so that the child can understand its development on individual basis. The child first adapts to the home ecosystem before moving towards the school and other large ecosystems which all determine the type of growth and development the child will exhibit. The theory is focused on different levels with the first level being the microsystem which is the smallest and immediate environment the child survives in (Shaffer, 2009). This includes the child’s home, school, surrounding community and the peer groups. This shows that as children we are affected by many things including the environment we are exposed to by our parents. In my case I was able to learn many things during my childhood since I was taken to a daycare that had many children since my parents were both working.

I had made good friends during my childhood where we used to play together and this ensured I grew and developed all round. My parents were supportive and would guide me so that I would not end up failing in life since I wanted to become successful just like them. According to Bronfenbrenner’s model children should be exposed to the right environments full of good friends, families where parents are actively involved. My parents were supportive thus I did not experience bad relationship with my parents in the past. Bronfenbrenner says in his model that the workplace of some parents may give pressure to the parents such that they end up mistreating their children (Shaffer, 2009). I grew up in a peaceful community free from discrimination. My parents installed some beliefs and ideas in me and taught me how to respect other people since all people are equal. I went to school with similar beliefs where I respect teachers and students thus end up creating good relationships with them. Bronfenbrenner notes that the type of culture and beliefs the child is exposed to will eventually be the culture the child adapts (Shaffer, 2009).

Recommendations of processes and strategies for future decisions

• Parents should ensure they expose their children to the right cultural practices and beliefs so that children can grow knowing and doing what is right (Vitto, 2003). In addition they should not let workplace and other issues affect the relationship they have with the children since children needs parental love, care and support.
• Students should be obedient to their teachers since they have been taught on whatever is right and wrong.
• Parents and teachers should support the children and ensure they understand the children in order to realize when the children are going through problems.
• Parents and teachers should pay close attention to the children in order to tell when a child is going astray since children are influenced by their peers and can end up doing the wrong things.
• Teachers should ensure they create good relationships with the teachers without being discriminative since all children need love and support from parents and teachers (Vitto, 2003).

Conclusion

From the above discussion, we can conclude that children are important and adapt to the behaviors they are exposed to. This means that teachers and parents have roles of ensuring they guide the children and ensure they grow and develop in the right way. Teachers should be good to children since poor teacher relationship results to poor academic performance, growth and development. This means that teachers have to ensure they get along with children well and in return children should respect and obey both teachers and parents. Bronfenbrenner in his model shows the importance of exposing children to the right environments since they will grow practicing whatever is right thus maintain good relationship with both parents and teachers.

References

Scarlett, W. G., Ponte, I. C., & Singh, J. P. (2009). Approaches to behavior and classroom             management: Integrating discipline and care. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Shaffer, D. R. (2009). Social and personality development.

Vitto, J. M. (2003). Relationship-driven classroom management: Strategies that promote student             motivation.