Our Academic Coach, Asya, uses her insight from the HIT program to describe teachers who students want to learn from.
I’m Asya Taylor, an Academic Coach working as a part of Lana Learn’s High-Impact Tutoring Program. I am currently stationed at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public High School (TMA) in Washington, DC. TMA has many ongoing programs designed to aid in reaching their academic goals, such as the High-Impact Tutoring program. Additionally, they intentionally staff their school with educators that their students want to learn from.
Research published in Evaluation & Research in Education by Montalvo, Miller, and Mansfield shows that high schooler’s put forth “higher levels of effort and persistence in classes where they liked the teacher” and data showed “higher levels of mastery goal orientation and students’ perceptions of their own abilities” (2007). It’s more than a perk for students to speak about teachers positively – it’s a crucial piece of TMA’s mission. With the aim of fostering well-adjusted, successful, engaged, and ambitious students, TMA has staffed their school with teachers dedicated to modeling these attributes.
Qualities of Effective Teachers
From the very beginning of my time at TMA, it was evident that the students genuinely love and respect their teachers. Coming from a background in elementary and middle grades education, I was a little shocked to hear high school students making lists of their favorite teachers and gushing about past experiences! I don’t remember having teachers at that age who were genuinely interested in me and made a lasting, positive impression. Many of my peers feel similarly. For example, we had a coach or guidance counselor that greatly impacted us, but our teachers were often distant, disengaged disciplinarians.
Stepping into TMA as a High Impact Tutor has given me the opportunity to see a few of these educators who are passionate and focused life-long learners who take the heady privilege of teaching very seriously. The teachers I work with are intentional about building relationships, communicating with families of their students, and building a classroom culture of mutual respect and trust.
What Makes a Favorite Teacher?
When 10th graders were asked to describe their favorite teacher at the school, they said things like…
- Helpful
- Patient
- Persistent
- Excellent
- Supportive
- Beautiful inside and out
- Reasonable
- Imaginative
- Joyful
- Personable
- Relatable
- Funny
The students here are predisposed to success because of the educators they spend their days with. This school has been an incredible breath of fresh air in terms of staff and student culture, and I am excited to see the ways they grow this school year and beyond!
Works Cited
Montalvo, Gregory & Mansfield, Eric & Miller, Raymond. (2007). Liking or Disliking the Teacher: Student Motivation, Engagement and Achievement. Evaluation & Research in Education. 20. 144-158. 10.2167/eri406.0.