how to get the children to like you

[angelfire]

I am hoping to become a secondary school teacher shortly and in the meantime am getting some classroom experience as a TA. My question is how to get the children to like you? Are you smiley/full of fun/quiet/interested/focussed etc etc. Do you make a conscious effort to get them to like you or do you just teach and trust in due course that they will respect you? I would be really interested in any tips- thanks

I don't ever wish for the children to like me. That's not my role. I am their teacher not a friend. I aim to be respected rather than liked.

Being "liked" doesn't mean as much as being respected as a good, knowledgeable, fair, consistent, honest teacher.
Actually, if you're all of those things, and actually LIKE the kids, you will be liked in return.

Agree with star girl! The old adage- don't smile until Christmas...you can always loosen up not get stricter! Control first!

You give very little thought to whether they like you or not, I would say. There is no need to try to be popular. I am strict, a bit sarcastic (oops) and don't do much in the way of "fun" activities. On the whole, whether they like me or not, my pupils are happy with me as their teacher, because they trust me to do my job.

Like them! That helps.

I don't bother about whether the kids "like" me, but, as a drama teacher, there is always the gang of drama kids who I see more of. They like my subject and they like the stuff I give them to do. They like being involved. They would still like it whether it was me or someone else. OTOH, there are kids who hate the subject and get stressed at the thought of having to perform in class. Doesn't mean they hate me though.

You need to just not think about it. Kids like teachers who are fair, who are interested in them, who are consistent and who care about them and their education. IME, the thing that annoys kids most is inconsistency, and also poor attendance. If the teacher is "never" there, they feel like they're getting a raw deal.

This is interesting - first a thread on how to be a scary teacher, now one on how to get them to like you

I agree with the others above. It is not about getting them to like you, or being scary. It is about being confident, assertive, consistent, fair, showing you care by being genuinely interested in them, knowing your subject(s) and having effective teaching methods. Not a lot to it

They don't have to " like" you.

My kids are very clear that "nice" teachers are all well and good but they are also very aware that effective teachers aren't always the ones they like. "nice" teachers are also the ones they get away with stuff for and cause havoc for at times (grammar school- able kids- some potential criminal masterminds I fear!- they are perfectly capable of meeting all lesson objectives and targets whilst still being little sh*ts, however they can be saints if managed well)

Nothing more cringe-making than teachers being 'matey' with pupils, whatever their age.I always tell mine that I've got enough friends, thank you, but we do need to get through work, learn things and with a bit of luck, have some fun along the way.

They are (mostly) lovely and I enjoy teaching them. Whether they like me is up to them.As long as you keep a professional distance it's possible to have a fairly relaxed atmosphere once they know the ground rules but, apart from being fair, consistent and effective, there isn't any point worrying about it.

But liking them is not a bad place to start.