Respect

It makes sense to me that our first disposition is Respect. It is one of the most, if not the most, important dispositions that a teacher can bring to their classroom. While the other dispositions, like compassion and open-mindedness, are important, they do not mean much if there is no mutual respect. It is the foundation that a successful relationship is built upon, whether that relationship is personal, professional or academic. Respect is not necessarily about liking a person, or about warm fuzzies and best buddies. Respect is the fundamental belief that everyone deserves equal dignity, that no matter who they are, where they come from or what they are capable of, they are all equally important and equally worthy or our time, consideration and attention. If a teacher does not respect his/her students, he will never earn their respect in return. Without a respectful environment students cannot progress and can in fact regress in their mental and emotional development.

I would bet, that every student, no matter how old they are or where they are from has been disrespected by a teacher. For me there have been many teachers that I had a hard time respecting and valuing their input because of the way that they have treated me, both publicly and privately. In fifth grade I had a teacher who wanted me announce a very personal feminine problem to my class before I was allowed to use the restroom. This same teacher used the success of my intelligent, athletic older brothers and a shame tactic in the hopes of getting me to preform better, saying things like "your brothers never would have made that mistake," and "I expected more from a Zehr." In high school I had a teacher insult and degrade the intelligence of my father (a man who has been teaching for over 30 years and has his PhD) in front of the class because I had the temerity to question the wording of a test question. These are just two of the more memorable times that I was treated with censure and disrespect by my teachers.

On the other hand there have been so many more teachers that have more than earned my respect. My senior year of high school I was in an Advanced Placement English class. My teacher, Mr. Hartwig, had a youthful exuberance that was infectious. Students were always trying to worm their way into his classes, and once there they got there they never wanted to leave. Mr. Hartwig's class was a "safe space" where you could say anything with out the fear of being judged. He would answer any question, and would listen to any story. He also managed to impart a love of literature in his students, and because he respected us so completely, both as students and as people, we respected him and wanted to preform well in his class. Near the middle of the second trimester, we read Othello as a class, and had to write a persuasive essay over the play. We were given plenty of time to brainstorm ideas but i kept circling around the idea that Iago was romantically obsessed with Othello. When it came time for me to present my thesis with Mr. Hartwig he patiently listened to my idea and considered the writability or such a topic. He told me that while he completely disagreed with my analysis, he thought that my outline seemed well thought out and that if I was sure that this was the topic I wanted, then he would be interested to see the final project. In the end I ended up receiving a perfect paper, this was both the first and last time i received such high marks from him. When I asked him why he told me that it was because he admired my gumption. He had read my thesis and completely written off my idea impossible and yet by the end even he had to admit that it was a possibility. He had given me a chance to explain myself, even though he completely disagreed with my point of view. and then praised me for being unique.

"The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil" -Ralph Waldo Emmerson

“A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do you know that his future will not be equal to our present?” -Confucius

“Only those who respect the personality of others can be of real use to them" -Albert Schweitzer