Have you ever been disappointed with the way students speak to you? Do you sometimes feel they lack good communication skills? Are you frustrated with the lack of effective communication you seem to have with your class? Then maybe you have a serious case of “communication copycats”.

I was channel surfing on my TV the other night and came across the British show, “Supernanny”. Jo Frost (the supernanny) helps parents deal with the unwieldy behaviour of their children. As I listed to Jo speak, I noted this statement: “The way you communicate with your children teaches them how to communicate with you.” What a profound statement! Your students are communication copy-cats – they copy you! As a teacher, the way I communicate with my students actually teaches them how to communicate with me. Scary stuff if you really think about it. The quality of communication between my students and me is a direct reflection of how well I communicate to them.

This week’s assignment:

Do a communication audit in your class. Note the ways in which students communicate with you. Note the positive and negative. Observe things you like and things you’d like to change. Then do the brave thing: look at your own communication skills and identify areas of strength and areas for improvement. By changing the way you communicate with your students, you will change the way they communicate with you.

Enjoy the journey,

And more importantly,

Enjoy the moments.

🙂

Megan