The Ultimate Value of Promoting Respect in Schools

The Ultimate Value of Promoting Respect in Schools The value of respect in school cannot be undersold.  It is as powerful of a change agent as a new program or a great teacher.  A lack of respect can be downright detrimental, completely undermining the mission of teaching and learning.  In recent years, it seems that a respectful learning environment is almost non-existent in many schools across the country. It seems that there is a handful of daily news stories highlighting disrespect levied against teachers by students, parents, and even other teachers. Unfortunately, this is not a one-way street. You regularly hear stories regarding teachers who abuse their authority one way or another.  This is a sad reality that needs to change immediately. Teachers and Respect How can teachers expect their students to respect them if they are not willing to be respectful to their students?  Respect must often be discussed, but more importantly, regularly modeled by teachers.  When a teacher refuses to be respectful to their students, it undermines their authority and creates a natural barrier that hinders student learning.  Students will not thrive in an environment where the teacher oversteps their authority. The good news is that most teachers are respectful towards their students on a consistent basis. Just a few decades ago, teachers were revered for their contributions. Sadly, those days are seemingly gone.  Teachers used to get the benefit of the doubt. If a student made a poor grade, it was because the student was not doing what they were supposed to be doing in class. Now, if a student is failing, the blame is often laid on the teacher. Teachers can only do so much with the limited time that they have with their students. It is easy for society to lay blame on the teachers and make them the scapegoats. It speaks to the general lack of respect for all teachers. When respect becomes the norm, the teachers are impacted significantly as well. Retaining and attracting great teachers becomes easier when there is an expectation of a respectful learning environment. No teacher enjoys classroom management. There is no denying that it is a critical component of teaching. However, they are called teachers, not classroom managers.  A teachers job becomes much simpler when they are able to utilize their time to teach rather than disciplining their students. This lack of respect in schools can ultimately be traced back to what is taught in the home. To be blunt, many parents fail to instill the importance of core values such as respect as they once did.  Because of this, like many things in todays society, the school has had to take on the responsibility of teaching these principles through character education programs.   Schools must intervene and implement programs that foster mutual respect in beginning grades. Instilling respect as a core value in schools will improve the overculture of a school and ultimately lead to more individual success as students feel safe and comfortable with their environment. Promote Respect in Schools Respect denotes both a positive feeling of esteem for a person and also specific actions and conducts representative of that esteem. Respect can be defined as allowing yourself and others to do and be their best. It is the goal of Any Where Public Schools to create a mutually respectful atmosphere between all individuals involved within our school including administrators, teachers, staff members, students, parents, visitors. As such, all entities are expected to remain respectful to each other at all times. Students and teachers especially are expected to greet each other with kind words and student/teacher exchanges should be friendly, in an appropriate tone, and should remain respectable. The majority of student/teacher interaction should be positive. All school personnel and students are expected to use the following words that show respect for another person at the appropriate times when addressing each other: PleaseThank YouYoure WelcomeExcuse MeMay I Help YouYes Sir, No Sir or Yes Maam, No Maam