Maybe We DO Get Paid for Kids to Like Us!

I listened to this podcast (link below) this morning. It definitely challenged my thinking. While I’ve been guilty of saying I’m not here for kids to like me, I sure have to admit I get better results out of the ones who do! 

I think the negative connotation of getting kids to like you is that you have to bend rules or use other tactics that could border on the unethical or unprofessional. But that’s not necessary. Think about the kids who like you best. They are probably students you have joked or just chatted with. They are ones you have had fun with: playing basketball after school in the gym, dancing (or lip-syncing) during the pep rallies, making learning games in the classroom. They are students with whom you have made a connection that lets them know you see them. For me, they are the ones for whom I have taken the time to listen to their side of things. I have also gone a step further and explained the reason for whatever rule or consequence we’re dealing with. They are the ones who come to understand, while I empathize with them, I am not willing to compromise my integrity (or my job) for them. I’ve even asked some of them how they could possibly continue to have any respect for me if I bent the rules or lied for them. 

I guess what I’m trying to say is that getting students to like you really isn’t all that different from getting other humans to like you – just do what your momma taught you: be yourself, don’t compromise who you are (morals, integrity, beliefs), don’t ask others to compromise who they are, and remember not everyone is going to like you, regardless of your efforts!   

I also included a link to the Rita Pierson TedTalk he refers to. Many of you have heard it, but it’s probably new to some and a great reminder to all!

Feel free to share your thoughts. With collegial conversations, we all grow!

Listen to 95:Damn right, your students should like you - Hack Learning Uncut from Hack Learning in Podcasts. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hack-learning/id1085782087?mt=2&i=1000390549631

https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion