Section 1: Teaching English Abroad

Chapter 6: Teacher Behavior in the Classroom

Often in the classroom I see many teachers talk about how their students always set the flow of their classes. However, in the classroom the one who sets and dictates the pace and mood of the classes is not the students, but the teacher. All students, even very young children are very receptive to emotional changes and can easily tell if you are having a great day or a bad day. On difficult or bad days students can easily mirror the feelings of their teacher which will set the mood for the classes, even when bad or difficult days come it is best to put on a strong front and try to deliver your classes in the best mood possible in order to prevent your classes from going outside of your control. The opposite is also true, on really good or great days the students can also feel your condition and mood and act accordingly to your feelings. There are always outliers to these situations, but the teacher behavior in the classroom is a very important thing for students as many will copy your demeanor and attitude as a teacher. In addition to that you should always try to remain composed in classes and try not to overreact or get angry in small situations. It is important as a teacher to establish a line and show that you and your students are not friends, but in a teacher-student relationship so that you can gain control of your class when you try to tell your students something authoritatively. It is imperative that as a teacher you use your behavior in the classroom to set the mood of the classroom so that you can easily control the lessons and the student’s behavior when it is necessary.