As an educator, one is always trying to find ways to gain and retain the respect of their students. As a student, one does not always give their respect to that educator so simply. Some teachers are respected by students more than others and they gain that respect in different ways.
From the perspective of a student, I think the teacher has to be knowledgeable about the subject, so that they can answer the questions in great detail. They also have to keep the material entertaining enough that the students pay attention and exciting enough that students are actually, genuinely interested in the subject. Teachers really have to understand how the students learn and think from the students’ perspective – namely how the students would want to learn the information the teachers have to teach. Otherwise, students get bored and lose interest in the subject and in the teacher.
From my experience, teachers instantly lose the respect of their students if they try to outsmart the students. Many times, if pressured by students who are testing their patience, educators get frustrated and try to be clever enough to make the student look bad. Educators need to analyze the purpose of the misbehavior and care enough to end the situation so that everyone is happy. Too many times, I have seen a teacher yell, make smart remarks, and punish students irrationally. As a direct result of the teacher’s lashing out, students lose respect, whether they were the “trouble” student or not. Scaring and intimidating the students will only diminish their desire for learning, not to mention their respect for the teacher. The teacher has to handle conflict in a way that is kind, yet firm, trying to leave all parties happy. In doing this, they will gain much respect from their students.
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