Following on from yesterday’s post and my conversation with Ewan MacIntosh I'm going to experiment with offering a little more of my own thoughts and feelings about education. I intend to start each daily entry with a “thought for the day”

TFTD Number 1

Children need to be liked

Do pupils need to feel that their teacher “likes” them for them to be motivated in class? I think the answer to the question is undoubtedly yes. I remember earlier in my career a teacher who used to comment as certain pupils came into the staff base “I don’t like him” or “I don’t like her” I used to challenge that teacher by asking how could they teach that child with that sort of attitude? I think pupils pick up a vibe if a teacher “cares” about them, which they equate to “like”.In my experience all of the best teachers I have come into contact with have created a classroom where pupils feel they are “liked”. Perhaps we should think of appropriating the psychotherapy term “unconditional positive regard” for the teaching process. What do you think?