Establishing Credibility Before Connection

Several months ago, a local youth pastor came to my school to speak to our students in chapel.  At the beginning of his speech to our middle school students, he said, "What?  You are in 7th and 8th grade?  I thought you were juniors and seniors."  Thank goodness I was on the row behind my students because I couldn't conceal my distaste.  I was offended on behalf of my students because he was treating them like they were stupid (young and stupid are not the same thing).  Telling students an obvious lie is not a way to get them on your side because this generation values authenticity above all, and a youth pastor should really know that.  For the rest of his speech, I was unable to take anything he said seriously because of the way he started.

If in hindsight, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, I can guess that he was trying to make a connection with them.  Given that he was going to be with them for about twenty-five minutes, I don't think that is possible.  You can't make a meaningful connection with middle or high school students in half an hour or less; it requires the hard work of relationship building.  What he needed wasn't connection; it was credibility.

Later that day, I was talking through this experience with the teacher friend I go to when I need wisdom and/or perspective.  As we talked about this idea of credibility before connection, she said, "One way to start would be by showing them that he took his work seriously."  During teacher week, we had a workshop (actually presented by that same friend) about student motivation based on the work of Dave Stuart, Jr.  The first key was credibility.  Making genuine connections is discussed but not until later.  Obviously, this is an important aspect of teaching, so let's address how we can make ourselves and our classes credible.

1.  Communicate that you take your profession seriously.  Many teachers are focused on being fun and entertaining in order to engage.  These aren't bad things, and I like to think I'm fun for my students, but it doesn't build credibility.  Too many jokes early on may undermine your credibility.  Start with the message that you take your class seriously by telling students about your preparation.  Hang your diploma and teaching certificate on the wall of your classroom (You wouldn't go to a doctor who didn't hang his, no matter how funny he was).  On day one, I tell my students about my education, years of experience, and ongoing professional development.  Do I throw in jokes?  Of course.  Is the first day a stand-up routine?  Absolutely not.  One day last year, a delightful 8th-grader said to me, "I've decided I trust you more than my other teachers because you have been doing this for a really long time."  Setting aside that she complimented me and called me old at the same time, it reflected something important.  She knew that I had been doing it long enough to know what I was doing, and that made her trust my decisions.

2.  Communicate that you take all classes seriously.  I've seen many parents over the years tell their students that they "don't use algebra either" or that "8th-grade doesn't matter anyway" or that they "couldn't spell very well either."  Then, they are at a loss for why their student doesn't do their homework.  They mean well; they mean to comfort their child.  Instead, they demotivate their child.  We can't stop that from happening at home, but we can stop it from happening in our classrooms.  As a teacher, you should never communicate that some part of education doesn't matter, even if it isn't your own subject.  Undermining any class' credibility undermines them all.  When a student asks "when am I going to use this in life," make the answer about something other than getting into college or a job.  Showing your love for your class motivates your students in ways you may never be aware of (I should write about my history teacher some time).

3.  Communicate that you take students seriously.  It is easy to communicate that you don't take students seriously, even without meaning to.  Blowing off an answer just because you didn't expect it will make that student less inclined to answer again.  Giving a student's question a blow-off answer will make them less inclined to ask them again.  It can be difficult to stay "on" all the time, but it is the quickest way to establish or lose credibility with our students.  If you truly to do not have time to give a question serious consideration, tell the student you will think about it and get back with them.  Make a note to answer them later.  In my school, all students have a computer and school email address, so I ask them to email the question to me in order to remind me to get back to them.  You would be amazed by their response when you give them a thoughtful and thorough reply. 

Taking these things seriously doesn't mean being a dower teacher that doesn't allow fun in their classroom.  Once you have established that we do important work in this room, there's plenty of room for personality, but if you start with personality, that may be all your students ever see.