Relationships between teachers and students take two forms at my school. Of course these are not true for all classrooms, but for the majority. When examining the older teachers that have been around for awhile and are close to retirement, I see a complimentary relationship between the educator and the students. The adult is dominant and expects the students to be submissive. In most of these classrooms I see this lead to degrees of disconnect. The students don’t buy into the knowledge or the environment of learning. They are there because they have to be and they do what is expected, but the learning doesn’t always transfer into situations outside the classroom. An example I will pose is one of classroom management. In the complimentary classrooms, the students are quiet and well behaved while the teacher is staring at them, but often are out of control when they leave the classroom. What they have learned about behaving doesn’t transfer into the real world. This can also be seen with academics. The students get into the routine of accomplishing classroom tasks and assignments in a rigid procedure and when they are asked to solve a problem or do an independent study in future years or other classrooms, they just stare at the instructor with confusion.
I see the reciprocal relationship between teacher and students more in the younger teachers’ classrooms. These classrooms are set up to involve everyone in the management of the classroom. Discussions are had as to how to go about tasks and behavioral issues are discussed in depth. There is a lot of flexibility and the teachers listen and allow students to explain why they choose to make the choices they do. It doesn’t mean the students are in charge, it just means that there is flexibility in the process of getting what the teacher needs to accomplish. Behaviorally, I see these students transfer behavioral concepts to their lives outside the classroom. I attribute this to the discussion that happens about behavioral choices in the classroom. I also see increased problem solving abilities in these students when it comes to academics. This is helpful when they move on to the next year’s class. These students are more able to become independent learners. I think this relationship leads to a further degree of connectedness between the teacher and the students. The students feel respected and are more willing to offer respect back because they want to, not because they have to.
I feel luck that I do not see a lot of symmetrical relationships in the school I teach in. There is not a lot of competition or vying for control. The principal runs the campus in a holarchic style. The principal can be seen as the mentor and we are the apprentices. She does an excellent job of dividing up responsibilities on campus and facilitating committees where the staff comes to consensus on what is best for our students. We have the opportunity to share the power of running the school, rather than working for a principal who is in charge and hands down mandates. This leads to intense connectedness. Most of the staff feels ownership over what we are creating and offering our students. The long-term implications of this relationship will become evident next year. Our principal is retiring and we will be getting a new one. It will be interesting to see how such a cohesive group of educators reacts to a new leader coming in to our community. I can only hope that the staff welcomes the new principal into our holarchic community and he feels the same.
