After many years of teaching in elementary school, I have been working since last year at TFS High School where I teach French, grades 6 and 7. It was another universe that came to me. In elementary school, we have one class all year round and therefore have many opportunities to connect with our students. We learn to identify their interests and needs through various activities in different topics during the day. These are different facets of their personality that are gradually revealed before our eyes. We have time to see them individually to discuss their strengths and areas for improvement on a regular and ongoing basis throughout the year. We also know them in relation to their more personal problems, personality conflicts, teenage crises. Some students come to us to confide in us and we can intervene on the warmth and in a more effective way to support them both academically and emotionally.
In high school, things are different. We see several classes and we have to manage several groups. Most students are only superficially known in our own subject area that we teach. Are they different in another subject? More engaged, more passive, more enthusiastic? In fact, a sense of pedagogy is essential in teaching, because our subjects are not always simple and because we are dealing with students who are not always motivated and are in different stages of learning, emotion, maturity, knowledge. We must, therefore, strive to make things simple so that they can quickly assimilate them and make the subject, in this case, the French language I teach, both simple and motivating while arming themselves with unfailing patience. This is quite a challenge in a predominantly English-speaking context.
What are the personality traits that are particularly useful to a high school teacher? Are they the same as for primary school?
I often hear that being humorous makes it easier for students? But I also know teachers who don’t have too much or no humour and who are good teachers.
Classroom management. It is essential to manage your class well, but not always easy in high school because, as I said, we only see our students for a period of time every day and again, this is not the case in all subjects. I know from experience that students need a framework, a structure and some students need it more than others. I am thinking of our students who have challenges in executive functions and who have difficulties organizing themselves, starting a task and carrying it out, keeping their attention, taking notes effectively, being autonomous…
I believe in being able to be flexible in firmness and remain constant all year round. Moreover, the meetings we have by level in our school are very useful to talk about our students both academically and behaviorally, and thus harmonize our practices between teachers of all subjects. Managing a class is not something you learn at university, but it is something you learn in the field with your students and with experience. There is no doubt, there are so many factors to manage in a classroom and put in place to reach all students and make them succeed at their own pace knowing that today’s students are no longer yesterday’s students and that we must adapt and remain flexible and open. It is important to get to know our students through other activities and in our school, we have mentoring sessions and companies, which I will talk about later.
From primary to secondary school…
After many years of teaching in elementary school, I have been working since last year at TFS High School where I teach French, grades 6 and 7. It was another universe that came to me. In elementary school, we have one class all year round and therefore have many opportunities to connect with our students. We learn to identify their interests and needs through various activities in different topics during the day. These are different facets of their personality that are gradually revealed before our eyes. We have time to see them individually to discuss their strengths and areas for improvement on a regular and ongoing basis throughout the year. We also know them in relation to their more personal problems, personality conflicts, teenage crises. Some students come to us to confide in us and we can intervene on the warmth and in a more effective way to support them both academically and emotionally.
In high school, things are different. We see several classes and we have to manage several groups. Most students are only superficially known in our own subject area that we teach. Are they different in another subject? More engaged, more passive, more enthusiastic? In fact, a sense of pedagogy is essential in teaching, because our subjects are not always simple and because we are dealing with students who are not always motivated and are in different stages of learning, emotion, maturity, knowledge. We must, therefore, strive to make things simple so that they can quickly assimilate them and make the subject, in this case, the French language I teach, both simple and motivating while arming themselves with unfailing patience. This is quite a challenge in a predominantly English-speaking context.
What are the personality traits that are particularly useful to a high school teacher? Are they the same as for primary school?
I often hear that being humorous makes it easier for students? But I also know teachers who don’t have too much or no humour and who are good teachers.
Classroom management. It is essential to manage your class well, but not always easy in high school because, as I said, we only see our students for a period of time every day and again, this is not the case in all subjects. I know from experience that students need a framework, a structure and some students need it more than others. I am thinking of our students who have challenges in executive functions and who have difficulties organizing themselves, starting a task and carrying it out, keeping their attention, taking notes effectively, being autonomous…
I believe in being able to be flexible in firmness and remain constant all year round. Moreover, the meetings we have by level in our school are very useful to talk about our students both academically and behaviorally, and thus harmonize our practices between teachers of all subjects. Managing a class is not something you learn at university, but it is something you learn in the field with your students and with experience. There is no doubt, there are so many factors to manage in a classroom and put in place to reach all students and make them succeed at their own pace knowing that today’s students are no longer yesterday’s students and that we must adapt and remain flexible and open. It is important to get to know our students through other activities and in our school, we have mentoring sessions and companies, which I will talk about later.