Do you have good relationships with your teachers?

We all know that School is the place where you spend most of your time as teens. When you go home, you are tired and want to sleep, or have home works, or just go out with friends. So the people that know you better than anyone else are the teachers. They are the people that you see, talk, laugh and even dislike on a daily basis. So, no doubt they play an important role in your development in character and behavior. They nurture and make you become good citizens. That is why a good relationship with them is very important part of your life. Teachers can look out for you, guide you, and provide you with an adult perspective. Many teachers are willing to answer questions, offer advice, and help you with your personal problems. It is also an open secret that students especially teenagers who have poor relationships with their teachers are more likely to misbehave in school or turn to delinquent behavior. On the other hand, pupils who get on well with their teachers are more likely to do well academically, with positive effects on their self-esteem too. So, if you’re having problems with a teacher, try to figure out why. Do you dislike the subject? Or do you like the subject but just can’t warm up to the teacher? If you don’t like the subject being taught, it can affect your relationship with the teacher, if you don’t like the teacher, it can affect the way you perform in class especially the subject they teach. “It’s beneficial to us teenagers to have a good relationship with our teachers, if you like them, you’ll have more respect for them and you won’t have trouble following the subject they are teaching. And talking to them about how you feel about certain subjects helps,” says Dina Salwa, senior three student at Kagarama Secondary School. If the relationship and communication between students and teachers is good, students will have more respect for their teachers and the subjects they teach and such students are likely to perform excellently, with positive effects on their self-esteem too. However, if the relationship is bad, then going to school and attending those teachers’ classes will be the biggest nightmare for the student and the results will be the same. “It’s not entirely students work to create a good teacher-student relationship even though it’s the students who benefits most,” says 16-year-old Garvin Bagabo. “Students have to have respect for their teachers and teachers must tolerate students if they are to build a good student-teacher relationship.” Do you know that it is possible to go through an entire term and your teacher has no clue of who you are? If you want to build a good relationship with a certain teacher, I’m going to let you into a secret. At least once a week go and ask him or her questions regarding the subject discussed in the most recent class. Even if you already know the answer! It makes them feel helpful if you show that you are open and interested in what they are teaching! They are teachers because they want to teach! And yes, it’s good to get along with your teacher because, in general, it’s smart to learn how to relate to the different types of people you’ll meet throughout your life. martin.bishop18@yahoo.com