Your 6th grade Reading Classroom Coaching coordinators, Chris and Hannah, put together a great handout for the April volunteer and mentor coffee talk. Check it out below!
Meet them at their level – put yourself in their shoes
- Get to know their interests and hobbies. Some students have a different background than yours; respecting it is key. Crossing cultural barriers takes effort, but if you want to bridge distances it is important to remain patient and keep an open mind.
Be objective
- Don’t take student behavior personally
- Be aware of your reaction/response to the students
Don’t be afraid to laugh and admit mistakes—have a sense of humor!
- Model that it’s ok to make mistakes
- Utilize your sense of humor
Respect/Trust
- Remember that to get respect, you have to give it
- Building trust takes time and patience
Listen
- Try to listen more than you talk
- Accept that a student’s feelings are valid
Be consistent
- It is much harder to relate to your students if you miss multiple classes
- Be consistent week to week with group guidelines for behavior
- Being inconsistent will cause you to lose students’ respect and attention
We hope you’ll join APIE staff, your teachers, and fellow volunteers and mentors for the end-of-year happy hour TODAY at Contigo Austin!
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