Who Cares?

One of my students told me today that her teacher in a different class didn't care. This is inexcusable. Your students don't care what you know until they know that you care. Is there anything worse than an apathetic teacher? Students want to know that their teacher cares about what they are doing and what they are trying to accomplish.

For most of my students, they want to do their math so they can get out of high school with good grades and then go to college. This is important to them, so it is important to me, their teacher. When they see that they are important to me and what they care about is important to me, then they start to take an interest in what I care about: teaching them math. By taking an interest in my students I am helping them want to learn. They work harder in class and show me respect because I take the time to care.

I have seen vast improvements in the four days I have been teaching. Students are working harder to grasp concepts that they otherwise would have been disinterested in. The progress is astounding. Who cares? I do.