Jessica's Self-Imposed Rules of Teaching

In no particular order...

1. LIVE Jesus. Include Him in your lesson plans, your lectures, your presentations. Meditate on Him during class. It's very attractive. (Students notice...I noticed.)
2. ATTITUDE. Your students reflect yours.
3. RESPECT. You have to earn it. Best method of action? Give it (but don't give in).
4. Exhibit authority. Students are pushing the boundaries to know where they stop. Push back – gently.
5. Be yourself. Students hate acting in class as much as you do. Stop it.
   I'd rather see students laugh to my face than poke fun behind my back. 
6. Everyone wants to and deserves to feel special. Make it your job to make sure they do. Smile. Make eye contact. Let each student know that they matter.
7. Encourage good behavior rather than discouraging bad.
8. Praise – personal and direct. At least daily.
9. Talk with the students one-on-one. Become more than just the blood-red-pen-wielding orator. Be a mentor, a friend. Talk to the student about more than just school. You have a life; so do they.
10. Get involved in student activities. Students notice when you attend things that you don't have to. It helps them think attending is OK, too.
11. Don't discuss students negatively in staff meetings unless it's absolutely necessary. You don't like talk behind your back; students don't like it, either.
12. Learning should be fun. How many non-fun things do you like to remember? The classroom doesn't have to be a dungeon of death, but it can't be an amusement park, either. Find the middle ground.
13. Get excited. Find something in the material that you're excited about. Excitement (and the consequent facilitation of learning) is contagious.
14. Find out what makes your students tick. Revisit it. Try to impersonate it. Make a fool of yourself (example: try to rap while teaching). They'll appreciate that you tried...that you noticed.
15. Pray for your students.
    Let them know you're praying for them.
    Pray with your students.
    Repeat.