3648. On How to Obtain Authority in Class with Your Students

 Today I’m trying to say something that may help you if you teach college students or adults or even kids. 

Something I’ve lately observed is that the teacher has to let those students do, he or she has to allow them to do, by combining authority with indulgence, authority with clever lenience. 

First premise: the teacher must become an authority, a moral authority in class. And that’s gotten if the teacher becomes somebody who can say things that positively influence upon his or her students. That teacher achieves that things fall on good soil, only if he works hard and sets an example of a person who has something that really makes his students learn how to work fine. I mean, that teacher is someone you can rely on, because he has gotten that authority, which is moral authority. 

Do you know what I mean? I’ve seen teachers whose students do what they are told to do because their teacher is a moral authority and has prestige – he is somebody that deserves to be listened to. 

And we must learn that that authority is accomplished over time, along the school year, although from the first class day his students can think, Oh, yeah, this is a serious teacher who takes his workload quite seriously. 

For example, homework. He has to achieve his students would work at home what assigned in class. Among other reasons because a language is learned if practiced each and every single day – it’s not something confined to two lessons per week. 

Something even more practical: That professional ought to ask in class if you – somebody specific – happen to have done that piece of homework, yes, no, a little? Ok, and can you do it for next Wednesday? (I mean next class day). 

That teacher will call on another student and ask a similar question: N., have you written the essay? Yes, no, a little? He is asking that polite question while he is making some intriguing face as if he would be asking something with his students’ permission. It’s kind of, May I ask you, N., if you have read the article at home, the one we read last class? 

As I said, it’s a mix of indulgence and demandingness from his students. And remember it is gotten over the lessons plus with professional commitment. Have a nice day.