Life Experiences: Forgotten past or springboard for an

effective teacher?

Course: MA Special Needs

Module: XX4939 Relationships and Behaviour

Word Count: 6,529

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 Table of Contents

Abstract ........................................................................................ 3

Introduction ................................................................................... 4

PART I

A. Perambulating the Past ................................................................ 6

B. Literature Review ........................................................................ 9

I. The teacher as a person .........................................................10

II. The teacher in the classroom ..................................................14

III. The teacher as a collaborator ..................................................16

C. The influential and supportive role of the teacher ...........................17

PART II

Implication for Practice ...................................................................20

Conclusion ....................................................................................22

References ....................................................................................23

Appendix 1.The Tree of Self-Esteem, Second Session..........................31

Appendix 2.Reflective Journal, 7th April 2014......................................32

Appendix 3.Children Learn What They Live ........................................34

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 Abstract

Reflective thinking and writing are fundamental elements of the

experiential learning. Journal writing benefits educators by enhancing
their personal and professional development and establishing their
identity. The present assignment constitutes my personal journey to
knowledge, where my reflective journal travelled me while I was exploring
my past experiences. Emerging issues regarding the qualities of an
effective teacher are examined and the influential and supportive role of
Special Education teachers is analyzed. Being an effective teacher
requires a number of personal qualities as well as teaching and classroom
management skills for the creation of a fertile school environment. The
teacher acts as a role model for the students and has a powerful influence
on their achievements, self-esteem and development of personality.
Therefore, the role of the teacher is to support students with Special
Educational Needs (SEN) primarily emotionally in order for them to accept
themselves and understand that difference is part of human nature.

Key Words: Reflective Journal, past experiences, effective teacher, role

model, students with Special Educational Needs

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 INTRODUCTION

In recent years, experiential learning has become an integral part of

teacher education. According to Kolb (1984, p.41), one of the innovators
in experiential learning, who was influenced by other theorists such as
Dewey, Lewin and Piaget, this type of learning is "the process whereby
knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.
Knowledge results from the combination of grasping and transforming it".

Reflective thinking and writing are indispensable elements of experiential

learning, which connect learning with experience. Especially for students,
keeping a reflective journal could be an effective technique to develop
critical thinking and simultaneously ‘give voice to their experiences’
(Kobert, 1995, cited in Yonge & Myrick, 2000, p.1). It is a way of
‘stepping back’ from past events and actions and question our choices
(Moon, 2006). The process of writing a reflective journal enables us to
assess our experiences and raise our self-awareness. Thus, it can be
considered as a tool for learning, as well as for personal and professional
development (Moon, 2004). Reflective journals differ from diaries and logs
in the way that the former contain our personal interpretations for events
and experiences of our life (Yonge & Myrick, 2000).

People as human beings learn from their experiences (Kolb, 1984). Our
experiences are a life-lesson: We usually (and ideally) learn from our
mistakes and make efforts to avoid them in the future during similar
situations, while at the same time we repeat behaviours that have proved
to be successful or acceptable from by our environment and society
(Bandura, 1999).

Unquestionably, our family and school environment play an exceptional

role in our social and emotional development (Rogers, 1959). In most
cases the ‘significant others’ (family members, friends and educators)
affect our personal and professional choices. Attending this module, it was
an opportunity for me to realize that my experiences as a student and as
a member of a family which has a background of teachers, acted as a
springboard for my decision to become a teacher. Through the present
assignment I will explore my life experiences and reflect on them. My

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learning journal, which I have kept over the last five months, will be the
guide for this journey. The included extracts constitute the entries of my
own perspective, which indicate my views, feelings and development of
thinking over time. Furthermore, I will analyze two key issues that arose
from my reflective journal with references to relevant literature: the
qualities, characteristics and skills that an effective teacher has, and
secondly, the influential and supportive role of the teacher, particularly
when working with children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Finally,
implications for practice will be discussed, regarding what I have learnt
and realized while writing my reflective journal and during my attendance
at the module.

Apparently, when we write about ourselves and disclose information about

our life, we inevitably refer to others (Ellis, 2007). On account of the fact
that my story has its roots in my family history and includes members of
my family, as well as students that I have worked with, I took into serious
consideration the importance of being ethical and moral when writing
about others (Denzin, 1997). Out of respect and in line with BERA code
(2011), people included have been given pseudonyms in order to remain
anonymous.

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Part I

A. Perambulating the past

At the first session of the module we were introduced to experiential

learning and we were advised to keep a reflective journal throughout the
semester. At first, it was challenging for me to write reflectively and I was
reluctant, since I was not familiar with this kind of writing. However, very
soon I realized that it would be a dialogue with myself, which could help
me assess my own personal, emotional and social development.

During the second session of the module we were asked to draw the tree
of our self-esteem. The roots of the tree would represent the significant
others, namely people that played an exceptional role on our personal
development, the tree trunk would symbolize the important and influential
events in our life and the fruits of the tree our achievements (Appendix
1). When it was my turn to discuss about all these with my group, I felt
uncomfortable. Unlike other students of my group who described that
their parents and siblings influenced their personal and professional
development, my story was restricted to just one family member, my
aunt, and to some past teachers that I had as a student. However, when I
finished the story of my life that my tree represented, no one from my
group seemed to be surprised that I talked about my aunt and my
teachers and that was a relief for me, because probably they did not
understand my embarrassment.

This activity, which prompted me to think about my past experiences, was

my ticket for a journey to discover aspects of myself and my choices; a
journey, which lasted almost as much as the duration of the sessions of
the module. When I went home, I had an irresistible desire to write in my
reflective journal about my experience that day in the classroom:

“Today’s activity was like a jolt for me: the roots of my tree are the reason
that I became a teacher! My aunt’s influence was more powerful that I have
ever thought. But what is hidden behind this choice? And apart from that,
in which way did my teachers influence me to follow a teaching career?”
(Reflective Journal, 3 February 2014).

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My aunt is the first teacher that I have ever had, even before I started
school. She was the person who taught me to write my first words. When
I was a toddler, we looked alike and everyone thought that I was her
child. I always felt really proud of that, since everyone in my family and
her social environment were admired and still admire her. She was always
very passionate about her job, really caring for children, and as her
student I have to confess that she had a talent to transform knowledge
into a game, which made the lesson easy to remember.

However, as a child I was concerned that the commitment to my aunt

would hurt my mother’s feelings. Now, as an adult I can understand that
because of this inner conflict, I found subconsciously a way to be like my
aunt, namely to become a teacher, but protecting at the same time my
mother’s feelings and my relationship with her, which was always really
important to me. Nevertheless, turning my professional career from
general to special education it was a conscious choice for me. “Yes, I
admire my aunt. I wanted to be like her; but not her!” (Reflective Journal,
4 February, 2014). After having answered the question which was
triggered by the activity with the tree and it was torturing my mind for
some weeks, I felt really proud of myself. I am still not sure whether this
is the correct answer to my question about my choice, however, now it
seems a logical explanation.

Thereafter, I turned my focus to my teachers, some of whom acted as

role models to me apart from my aunt. They had characteristics that I
admired and I was watching them teaching I wanted to follow their
example. Their qualities and skills were the benchmarks for how I wanted
to be and their encouragement, motivation and devotion to their job made
me discover what I was made of. As Palmer (1998, p.23) mentions ‘the
power of our mentors […] is in their capacity to awaken a truth within us,
a truth we can reclaim years later by recalling their impact on our lives’.

One of the most influential learning experiences that I had as a student

was with my Greek language teacher at secondary school. What I admired
most was her kindness, cheerfulness and the passion she had for
teaching. Moreover, she had a heart of gold and a boundless love for the

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children. Once, one of my classmates was caught cheating at a test and
all teachers decided to exclude him permanently from school, except from
her. She claimed that all students deserve a second chance, that exclusion
was not the correct punishment in these situations and that possibly all
teachers had a part of responsibility for this student’s action; eventually
she ‘saved’ the student. Thinking about her I wrote in my reflective
journal:

‘The reason that she left a mark inside me relates to how she made me
feel for my strengths and abilities. She knew that I was a shy student,
with low self-esteem, even though I did not have any kind of learning
difficulties. For this reason, she was trying to make me believe in myself. I
recall an incident when we had a written test in literature. She gave me
the best mark in the classroom and she read in front of my classmates my
‘model’ answers (as she called them). It was the first time in my student
life that I felt extremely proud of myself and that my efforts were
recognized. That day I felt a change inside me. I remember saying to
myself: maybe I am worth much more than I think! (Reflective Journal, 4
February 2014).

I started wondering about my own motivation for my choice to become a

teacher. I found my own philosophy about teaching summarized in the
words of Ralph Waldo Emerson (The Emily Fund, n.d.): ‘The purpose of
life is not to be happy. Is to be useful, to be honorable, to be
compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and
lived well…To know that even one life has breathed easier because you
have lived. This is to have succeeded”. Some days later, I wrote in my
reflective journal:

“Considering my own reasons why I decided to become a teacher, I can

say that it is the unconditional and warm love for children, and the
satisfaction to see them succeed. Children reflect the innocence and hope
that we, grownups, tend to lose but we need it in our everyday life. They
are a source of happiness for me”. (Reflective Journal, 7 February 2014)

Apparently, I am not the only one who is inspired by previous teachers or

family members to become a teacher. In a number of studies (Low, et al.,
2011; Manuel & Hughes, 2006), participants indicated the same answer
when they were asked about the reasons for choosing teaching as a

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career. Furthermore, studies which were conducted across nine different
countries examined the reasons that motivated participants to follow a
teaching career (Topkaya & Uztosun, 2012; Low, et al., 2011; Zhao,
2011; Roness & Smith, 2010; Manuel & Hughes, 2006; Chan, 2006;
Kyriacou & Coulthard, 2000). As outcomes indicated, the most important
factor for becoming a teacher was related to altruistic reasons, such as
helping children succeed, positively influencing their lives and having a
socially worthwhile job, which are similar reasons as to mine.

Once I solved my inner riddles, I began thinking about my responsibility

as a teacher of students with SEN and I wrote down in my journal some
questions, which structure the present assignment:

“Now that I am a new teacher, I understand that I have to be a ‘good

teacher’. Do I have the qualities for an effective teacher? What do I have
to do differently? How different is it to be a teacher for students with SEN?
What is my role towards these children?” (Reflective Journal, 3 March
2014).

B. Literature Review

There is no single answer of what makes a good and effective teacher

(Dewar, 2002). Makley (2004) reviewed the literature in an attempt to
define the ‘effective’ teacher. Some researchers define the effective
teacher as someone who can increase students’ knowledge; others base it
on the lesson design, while others relate the effectiveness of teachers with
students’ achievement (Stronge, Ward, & Grant, 2011). Dewar (2002)
classified approximately 50 characteristics of a good teacher according to
the findings of three different studies (Avent, 1931; Adams 1987; Roy
1987, cited in Dewar, 2002, p.61). Analyzing all these qualities would be
an insurmountable task; hence I intend to focus on some characteristics
and skills, which go further than experience and educational training, the
undeniable qualities of effective teachers. I am aware that there are many
more but from my own perspective, these constitute essential traits for an
effective teacher.

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I. The teacher as a person

Being influenced by watching ‘The Chorus’, a French movie of 2004,

during the fourth session of the module, I recognized the lack of personal
qualities of some teachers and compared it to my experience with ‘bad
teachers’. Personally, I like numbers. I can easily remember dates and
phone numbers and I usually understand the world through them. Yet, I
never managed to perform well in Mathematics. Unfortunately, for me, my
first Math teacher in secondary school was an example to avoid. Even
though she was well prepared and educated, she lacked personal skills.
Thinking about that, I reflected in my journal:

‘I do not blame Mrs for my weakness to succeed as a student in

Mathematics. Maybe, my efforts to study and learn mathematics were not
enough. However, she did not give me more than one chance and I still
wonder why. Her discouragement made me feel unsure for myself and this
is something that I still ‘carry’ as an adult. Nevertheless, now I can
understand that she was everything that I do not want to be as a teacher;
extremely strict, unfair, she had no empathy, sense of humor or
encouragement’ (Reflective Journal, 24 February 2014).

The role of empathy is a major attribute of an effective teacher, especially

for Special Education teachers. Empathy means that a person is able to
recognize and understand how other people feel (Lawrence, 1996). The
ability to understand the students’ feelings is important for creating
effective and constructive relationships with them. Students’ feelings play
an important role to their learning, thus teachers must be able to identify
them (Mortiboys, 2012). Students understand when teachers like them
and they tend to perform better in school (Rogers, 1975, cited in
Lawrence, 1996).

The ‘fundamental human skill’ of empathy (Ioannidou & Konstantikaki,

2008, p.121), is one type of ‘emotional intelligence’. This term became
popular by Goldman (1998, p.317), who defined it as ‘the capacity for
recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating
ourselves, and for managing emotion as well in ourselves and in our
relationships’. Empathy kindles altruism, one of the main reasons that

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some teachers choose to follow a teaching career, as it has already been
mentioned above.

One of the most significant qualities of an effective teacher is the ability to

listen to the students (Thomas & Montomery, 1998). Studying about the
importance of having listening skills as a teacher, I recalled an incident of
mine some months ago when I was tutoring a trilingual five-year-old boy
to learn Greek. One of his favourite activities was to make postal cards
and pretend that he was about to send them to his relatives. Since he had
learnt how to write ‘To mother’ in Greek, I decided to teach him to write
‘To grandmother’. When I told him to write it, he looked at me and told
me: ‘But my grandmother cannot read Greek. I will not write it!’ At first, I
thought to myself that this was an excuse and that maybe he did not want
to learn this phrase. I did not want press to him to learn something that I
thought it would be important, so I moved on to other, more intriguing to
him words. Once the lesson ended, I described the incident to his mother.
To my surprise, she told me that the boy’s Greek grandmother had passed
away a year ago and that his in-life grandmother does not speak Greek.

This might be a minor example; however, it was a true lesson for me. In
my reflective journal I wrote:

“The incident today was very important! I realized that every child, even a
five-year-old has a reason for arguing for something, which in most cases
is not merely an excuse” (Reflective Journal 20 March 2014).

Thus, as teachers, we should take some time to listen to our students.

Maybe it is something important, which would help us understand them
and enable us to find a way to help him/her, if necessary, in the most
effective way. Apart from that, when students feel that their teachers
listen to them, they feel valued and achieve better in school (Isenbarger &
Zembylas, 2006).

Humor can be a very useful tool during times of conflict and tension
between them and the students. In addition, students perceive the
teacher as an approachable personality (Cullingford, 1995) and they are
not afraid to make mistakes (Miller, 2012). A good and decent joke
during the lesson breaks the monotony of teaching and relaxes the

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atmosphere, which is something that helps students to remember easier
the content of the lesson (Trutia, 2012).

Needless to say, students spend a great amount of their time in school

and interact with their teachers on a daily basis. Consequently, the
relationship between them becomes closer and vital for the children.
Developing a warm and supportive relationship with students is crucial for
a healthy school environment, which promotes productivity in the
classroom (Opdenakker et al. 2011). Furthermore, students’ engagement
is enhanced (Skinner & Belmont, 1993) and consequently their academic
performance is improved (Christophel, 1990; Roffey, 2011). Additionally,
healthy relationships are important for students’ mental health, emotional
and social well-being (McLaughlin, 2008). These terms focus ‘on how
children act, behave, feel, communicate their feelings and get along with
others’ (Fauth & Thompson. 2009, p.25). When students feel valued,
accepted and respected by their teachers, they indicate better
performance in school (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment,
2009).

The good relationship ensures that children feel that they belong
somewhere (in this case to the school community), which by extent
strengthens the students’ engagement with the school. This is very
important, since children who are disengaged with the school are more
likely to use drugs, exhibit anxiety and even withdraw from school
(McLaughlin & Clarke, 2010). As every relationship is fragile, the one
between teacher and student can easily break, sometimes due to
everyday frictions within the school classroom. In these situations, the
children usually lose trust in adults and feel disappointed by the others
and themselves. As such, an effective teacher is always willing and
‘prepared to make the first step to repair the relationship’ (Roffey, 2011,
p.116), particularly for the benefit of the student.

An integral element of the pedagogical skills of the teacher is the

knowledge in the fields of psychology. Having this knowledge, the teacher
will be able to assist students in their cognitive, emotional, intellectual and
social development. A very important period of time for students, and

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especially for those with SEN, constitutes the passage from childhood to
adolescence, which coincides with the transition from primary to
secondary school (McLaughlin & Clarke 2010). During this stage, the child
is experiencing great internal and external developmental changes that
may affect his/her behaviour and academic performance (Fuller, 2014).
The role of the teacher at this point is to help the child handle and accept
these changes.

A good teacher is excited about the material that he/she is teaching and
transfer his/her zeal and enthusiasm to the students. Being a teacher of
Greek Language and Literature (Ancient and Modern), I have to admit
that some students and especially those with SEN, do not find intriguing
being taught a ‘dead’ language. Even though I have not worked yet in a
public school, with thirty children in a classroom, it was a great challenge
for me to engage the students, who I was privately tutoring with the
lesson and make them understand the importance of knowing the roots
and origins of their mother tongue. Apparently, a teacher is obliged to
follow the school curriculum. However, an effective teacher teaches
everything with imagination and creativity and makes learning fun
(Colker, 2008). There are plenty of techniques to achieve it: ‘information-
gap exercises, games, songs, jazz chants, problem solving’, otherwise
children lose their motivation to learn (Miller, 2012, p.36). Thus, the
teacher needs to discover the interests and hobbies of the less motivated
students (Cullingford, 1995), however, without forcing them, because as
Christofel (1990, p.324) claims ‘forced learning today may result in no
learning tomorrow’.

One teaching skill which is remarkable and makes the work of the teacher
easier is the right use of body language, namely the wordless
communication of the teacher with his/her students. The physical
movements and expressions of the teacher inside and outside the
classroom play an important role in teaching efforts. The way he/she
looks, his/her gestures and facial grimacing, all of them indicate what
he/she thinks about students and the work they perform. The teacher

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must be aware that non-verbal behavior is sometimes more efficient than
oral communication (Gregersen, 2007).

Last but not least, an effective teacher has developed self-awareness or in

other words he/she is authentic (Colker, 2008). He/she knows the reason
he/she became a teacher. He/she knows his/her limitations and if he/she
does something wrong, he/she does not blame the children for that.
He/she is critical to his/her work and a judge of his/her own actions.
He/she learns from his/her students and makes efforts to improve his/her
performance (Cullingford, 1995). He/she is armed with patience and self-
discipline, knows to avoid the pitfalls and never forgets that the focus is
always the student and not himself/herself.

II. The teacher in the classroom

The school classroom is the place where children learn and develop. Thus,
the organization of the classroom is of high importance. The teacher is
responsible to construct a classroom where children feel welcomed and
secure, like home (Cullingford, 1995). During one of the sessions of the
module, we were separated into groups and were asked to make a
classroom influenced by a theorist (Freud, Skinner, Maslow and Foucault)
using the resources (colored paper, glue, stickers). My group was
assigned to Maslow. After the end of the exercise I wrote in my reflective
journal:
“This is the organization of a classroom that I would like to be in as a
student. It provides water, fruits, it is warm with the central carpet, the
circled tables are close to each other and no one is left aside. At first, I
thought that the best classroom organization is the one that follows the
principles of Skinner (boards with rewards and stars, thinking chairs), but
now I realize that this is much better: it can have everything that a
‘Skinner’s classroom’ has, but at the same time it covers the everyday
needs of children, provides safety and security and promotes self-
confidence. I would definitely organize my classroom like this’’ (Reflective
Journal, 17 February 2014).

The teacher can be considered as the leader of the classroom and

responsible for its management. However, an effective teacher settles the
rules of the classroom with the students (Marzano, 2005), and explains to

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them the reasons behind them and the importance to obeying to them.
Marzano (2005, p.9) suggests that the teacher could sign a common
agreed pledge with his/her students, which will help them to develop ‘a
shared sense of responsibility for the classroom’. This will create a general
positive classroom climate that will benefit learning and the interpersonal
relationships between students and the teacher.

In cases of breaking the rules, an effective teacher understands the child’s

behaviour from a psychological perspective. According to Dreikurs
(Edwards, 2007) there are four reasons why usually children misbehave:
attention, power or revenge seeking and displaying inadequacy. Dreikurs,
also believes that punishments are counterproductive and promote
revengeful feelings. Thus, he suggests that once a child behaves in an
inappropriate way, the most effective method for teachers to deal with it,
is to use the logical consequences of behaviour, which have direct and
logical connection with the action (Edwards, 2007). For instance, if a child
breaks the window of the classroom, the logical consequence of his/her
action could be for him/her to sit at the desk next to the broken window.
The aim in these cases is for the student to understand his/her mistake
and shoulder the negative consequences of his/her action. However, for
more positive outcomes, the teacher should deal with the child in one-to-
one conversation. By avoiding further confrontations and possible
humiliation in front of the rest of the class, the teacher shows fairness and
ensures that the child feels respected (Marzano, 2005).

It is evident that sometimes students bring serious problems to school.

These problems may include family problems, such as divorce or
abandonment by the parents or personal problems like substance use,
peer rejection and bullying (Edwards, 2007). Effective teachers are able to
recognize these problems, ‘read’ their students and ‘see the world through
their eyes’ (Morse et al., 1980, p.20). During the last session of the
module, we were introduced to the ‘Pepsi Max challenge’. The aim of the
activity was to make us think of possible problems that a child may
encounter before entering the classroom and suggest techniques, which
de-escalate possible conflicts between the teacher and the student. A

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bottle of Pepsi Max represented a student and every time someone was
mentioning a problem, he/she had to shake hard the bottle. After every
shake the bottle was becoming more and more dangerous to explode,
indicating the inner tense that a student may feel due to his/her
problems.

The activity was one of the most important and most influential activities
for my personal, emotional and professional development. I realized that I
had never before taken into serious consideration the students’ problems
outside the classroom and I wrote in my reflective journal:

“I feel so awful for not taking into account these problems of the children.
I remember when I was tutoring …I knew he had several…family
problems [and] that he was repeatedly bullied, due to his learning
difficulties…by his classmates. I knew how sensitive he was…and yet, not
just once, I asked him the simplest question before we started the lesson:
‘How do you feel today?’…I know…that I had to focus only to the lesson.
But to treat him like I was the heartless person in the world? Why haven’t
I thought to approach him with sensibility? I wish I knew all these issues
that I have learnt today in the past…” (Extract from Reflective Journal, 7
April 2014, Appendix 2).

III. The teacher as collaborator

Great teachers develop close relationships and collaboration with the other
teachers of the school. Exchanging ideas about the curriculum and the
materials they use, sharing concerns and strategies enhance the
effectiveness of teachers. Moreover, the co-operation and the common
lesson planning with the support staff within the classroom are very
beneficial, not only for the effectiveness of teachers but also for the
students (McVittie, 2005). Collaboration can be defined as ‘a process by
which people work co-operatively together to accomplish a task or series
of tasks, of benefit to one or more people’ (Devecchi & Rouse, 2010,
p.91). Teamwork has a central role in education and effective teachers are
aware of the need for support, without treating it as a weakness (Roffey,
2011).

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Open communication with parents is a core attribute for effective teaching
(Dilon & Maguire, 2011). Parents are a valuable source of assistance since
they have knowledge about how their child learns and the problems that
he/she may encounter (Roffey, 2008). By exchanging information and
finding together ways which facilitate the student’s learning and meet the
child’s needs, both parties are able to assist the student in the most
effective way.

C. The influential and supportive role of the teacher

Teachers can affect the cognitive development, learning and academic

performance of their students, as well as the development of their
personality and influence their life beyond the classroom. The most
famous study, about the impact of the teacher’s attitude and expectation
towards students is that of two Harvard professors, Rosenthal and
Jacobson (1968). In a primary school of San Francisco, they distributed
intelligence tests, which they called “The Harvard Test of Inflected
Acquisition”. Teachers from this school were misleadingly informed that
one group of children had high IQs scores and that another group of
children had lower IQ scores. At the end of the school year, all children
were tested again. The results indicated that students, who were
considered as high achieving by their teachers, had significantly higher
mental development than children who were considered as low achieving.
Researchers called this effect ‘Pygmalion phenomenon’, as a form of self-
fulfilling prophecy. This term was created by Robert Merton (1948, p.195)
to describe “a false definition of the situation evoking a new behavior
which makes the originally false conception come true”.

The teacher forms an initial overview for each student and makes
‘predictions’ about his/her performance. These expectations determine the
teacher’s behavior and he/she starts to behave according to them. If the
teacher behaves in a way that shows that he/she recognizes the
personality and abilities of the student, then the student seeks to respond
to positive expectations of the teacher and makes great efforts to achieve
them. These efforts confirm the expectations of the teacher who now feels
satisfaction for his/her correct prediction, which strengthens their original

17
behavior (Rosenthal and Jacobson, 1968). This means that the teacher’s
positive expectations have strong impact on students’ effort for better
performance, as well as their general behaviour towards the school
concept. On the contrary, the negative expectations of the teacher may be
the source of students’ mistrust in their capacities and low self-confidence.

There is evidence that students with SEN have lower levels of self-esteem
(LaGreca & Stone, 1990; Vaughn & Hogan 1990). Thus, the role of the
teacher is to assist these students to accept themselves and understand
that difference is part of human nature. In contrast, students with SEN
have higher rates of self-esteem when they refer to their non-academic
abilities (Renick & Harter, 1989; Kloomock & Cosden, 1994). As such, the
teacher needs to make them realize the importance of performing well in
extracurricular activities such as in sports, music or drawing. On account
of the fact that some students with SEN face difficulties in expressing their
thoughts and feelings, arts could significantly assist them to express
themselves in a creative way. Unquestionably, excellent academic
performance is important for a student. However, being good in activities
as the above, is remarkable especially for students with SEN. It is the
teacher’s responsibility to motivate them to work with their (dis)abilities,
enjoy the process and feel productive (Morse, et al., 1980).

The feeling of failure is constant among students with SEN, since they
struggle to follow the demands of the school curriculum (Renick & Harter,
1989; Valas, 1999). The role of the teacher in these situations is
exceptional: He/she supports children and encourages them to continue
trying, regardless of the result and praises frequently every effort,
however without overprotecting them (Morse et al., 1980). He/she makes
them realize that despite their weaknesses they are born for something
bigger than they think for themselves and builds their strength (Morse et
al., 1980). This is something that can prepare students to face the
difficulties that they may encounter later as adults.

The teacher has always been the mainstay of intellectual and cultural
progress of any society and the cornerstone of personal happiness of
every human (Dilon & Maguire, 2011). Thus, the teacher carries a great

18
responsibility. Apart from teaching the lesson the teacher educates
children. He/she equips children with skills in order for them to be
productive members of tomorrow’s society. The teacher can shape the
spirit, the character, the ethos of his/her pupils and convey morals and
values that could be considered as more precious than the knowledge
itself (Truţia, 2012).

The teacher acts as a role model and creates opportunities for the
development of moral virtues (honesty, respect to others, fairness),
character and integrity (Truţia, 2012). Having character implies that a
person behaves in a good way to others and does the right thing.
‘Integrity means consistently doing what is right, even when it would be
easier to do something that is personally more beneficial’ (Lumpkin, 2008,
p.46). Needless to say, students have not developed their critical thinking
yet and usually they imitate the behaviour of the adults who surround
them. Teachers should, therefore, teach students with their own stance.

Being fair demands that the teacher does not discriminate students and
that he/she treats them as unique personalities. A fair teacher gives
everyone the same opportunity to learn and supports every student
equally to achieve the highest level of their capabilities (Lumpkin, 2008).
In this way the teacher promotes inclusion with his/her attitude towards
children with SEN in the classroom and his/her lesson structure. Inclusion
refers to all students with or without disabilities and SEN providing to
them equal opportunities to participate in the lesson, regardless of their
differences (Armstrong, et al., 2010).

It is evident that students with SEN are vulnerable and at high risk of
being bullied by their classmates (Luciano & Savage, 2007; Rose &
Monda-Amaya, 2012). The role of the teacher is to teach students with
his/her stance to respect each other, regardless of their ethnicity, race,
gender, socio-economic status, or individual characteristics or abilities’
(Lumpkin, 2008, p.48). The teacher is responsible to make students honor
the individual differences of their classmates and treat them as part of
human nature. Simultaneously, he/she contributes to the creation and

19
maintenance of relationship between peers, which is vital for students’
with or without SEN social skills development (Aldridge & Ala'I, 2013).

Part II

Implications for practice

Plausibly, one might think that it is a utopia to have all these qualities and
maintain them for the rest of his/her career at the same level. The
teacher has to face problems regarding his/her working conditions, such
as increased curriculum responsibilities, poor facilities and deficiencies in
sources, lack of additional support, and low salaries, which discourage
him/her and decrease his/her effectiveness. In an everyday, five times a
week classroom there might be moments of tension, frustration and
disappointment. If sometimes the teacher feels tired, so will be the
students.

Thus, keeping a learning journal for an exploration past experiences and

assessing the possible impact that they had on our personal and
professional development could be very useful to improve our practices
for the benefit of our students. Possibly, a good idea for every teacher
should be to ask his/her students what ‘great teacher’ means for them
and compare their answers to his/her attitude towards them. I believe
that students’ answers will be the most useful guide of improvement for
the teacher.

A core moment especially for my emotional development was when I

realized that students may face personal and family difficulties, which
affect their behaviour in school. In these cases, the teacher has to indicate
his/her professionalism: stay calm, stand up to the occasion and help the
student emotionally, since ‘if you don't support students who have difficult
home lives, you lose them’ (Welham, 2014).

My ‘significant others’ (family members, friends and colleagues) usually

accuse me that I live in a ‘pink’ world, where everything is feasible and
perfect, regarding the ideal school system and the impeccable teacher. My
response to them is always the same: I believe that the school system will
change once new teachers are employed. And I will not give up my beliefs

20
only because changes in education are difficult to happen. I am aware
that one person cannot make a difference. However, this module gave me
the unique opportunity to meet people from all over the world, who share
the same values as me. This made me feel more hopeful and optimistic.
We are the new generation of teachers; we have passion, fresh and new
ideas which can promote a more inclusive, humanistic, child-centered
educational system.

In fact, some days ago I stumbled on an article about Alicia McKeown, a

young dyslexic teacher’s story of how her teachers inspired her to follow a
teaching career (Welham, 2014). What is really important in her story is
that she set up breakfast club for her students, demonstrating her love
and interest on students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Every morning she offers them cereal and milk and creates a family
environment for her class to have breakfast before the lesson. I instantly
recognized my thoughts in her ‘Maslow’s orientated classroom’, when I
was writing in my journal that I am planning to do the same one day in
my classroom. This article was for me a confirmation that I am on the
right track and a proof that apart from the people that I met in this
module, there are others around the world with the same perspective as
mine.

If we want to be considered as responsible for our mission to educate

children effectively, we have to take into serious consideration the verses
of Dorothy’s Law Nolte poem of 1972 ‘Children Learn What They Live’
(Nolte & Harris, 1998): “If children live with encouragement, they learn
confidence…If children live with acceptance, they learn to love…”
(Appendix 3). In my point of view, perseverance and patience and driven
by the love for children as well as the satisfaction of seeing them to
succeed, could be enough to make the teacher remain the same person
and maintain his/her values until the last minute of his/her career.

21
 Conclusion

Reflective thinking and writing are integral parts of the experiential

learning. The engagement of keeping a reflective journal is beneficial for a
person and particularly for educators in multiple ways. As Moon (2006)
claims, it is as a useful tool for personal and professional development,
enhancement of self-awareness, establishment of personal identity and
assessment of knowledge.

Being an effective teacher, especially when working with children with

SEN, requires a number of personal qualities, such as empathy, listening
skills and a good sense of humor. An effective and caring teacher creates
and maintains interpersonal relationship with his/her students, which is a
major element for the students’ academic performance and engagement
with the school. He/she is also responsible for the fertile classroom
environment, which benefits the students’ learning. Furthermore, he/she
develops close relationships with the school staff as well as the parents of
the students.

Undoubtedly, teachers influence students in multiple ways. His/her

expectations have a strong impact on students’ achievements, self-
esteem and development of personality. In this sense he/she acts as a
role model. He/she teaches students with his/her stance and conveys to
them values and moral virtues (fairness, respect, integrity), which are
essential assets for a productive adult life.

Personally, reflecting on my past experiences, which acted as a

springboard for my choices, I felt blissful for having met teachers that
made a difference in my personal and professional development, since
most teachers are not effective role models or able to inspire their
students. Keeping the reflective journal was an opportunity for me to gain
a more spherical idea about myself and to establish my personal and
professional identity by exploring my own qualities.

22
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APPENDIX 1

The Tree of Self-Esteem, Second Session

31
APPENDIX 2

Reflective Journal, 7th April 2014

I feel so awful for not taking into account these problems of the children. I
remember when I was tutoring Willy, one of the most difficult cases that I
have ever encountered. I knew that his parents were not getting very well
and that he had several other family problems, especially with his ‘normal’
sister. I knew that he was repeatedly bullied, due to his learning
difficulties and that he was called ‘weirdo’ by his classmates. I knew how
sensitive he was for having to face all these problems and yet, not just
once, I asked him the simplest question before we started the lesson:
‘How do you feel today?’.

I consider myself as a very sensitive in children’s needs person. I

empathize with every person that I know, not just my students. I was a
child once and I still remember how it is to be a child. I know, on the
other hand, that during every lesson Willy was so intractable that I had to
focus only to the lesson. But to treat him like I was the heartless person in
the world? Why haven’t I thought to approach him with more sensibility? I
wish I knew all these issues that I have learnt today in the past. I was
already aware about Dreikurs theory regarding the four reasons of
misbehavior, but I never, ever thought that sometimes it is more than
that: family and personal reasons. If only I could turn back time and ask
him that question. Now, I am pretty sure that the lesson could be easier
for him and for me as well. He could be more concentrated, once he had a
three-minute conversation with me about issues that he was worried
about, and I could have felt more satisfied after teaching him.

During the activity, everyone seemed not to be surprised of what we were

talking about and they were participating joyfully. However, I was sitting
on the chair, with my mouth slightly open and unable to say one
sentence, about the possible problems that a child may encounter before
entering the classroom. I was just listening to my classmates

32
brainstorming. I felt sad, guilty, stupid and ‘small’ for realizing that it was
my first time that I was thinking about all these problems. A voice inside
me was shouting loud: ‘Why?’. When I was given the bottle, my whole
body felt numb. I couldn’t move my hands to shake it. My tutor looked at
me and told me: ‘Come, on! Shake it!’ I felt so embarrassed! I suppose he
thought that I was just not paying attention to what we were saying.
Responding with a silly smile, I started shaking the bottle for some
seconds and then I passed it to someone next to me like I was trying to
get rid of it as my thoughts for the truth that I was confronting.

I took care of everything regarding tutoring Willy, but I failed in one: to

ask him ‘How are you?’.

33
APPENDIX 3

Children Learn What They Live

By Dorothy Law Nolte (1972)

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.

If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.

If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.

If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.

If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.

If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.

If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.

If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.

If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.

If children live with fairness, they learn justice.

If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.

If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in
those about them.

If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in
which to live.

34