Why does she get more respect than the other teachers?

[Elle-Woods22]

The careers advisor in our school also acts as a supply teacher when needed which is very often, she tends to cover at least three classes a day at least. She gets so much more respect than any of the other teachers. She's only young, I think she's 21 but nearer to 22, she's married and is now pregnant, but even before she got pregnant she used to get heaps of respect from both the lads and the girls. She is strict but fair and doesn't let the class run riot like a lot of other supply teachers do. Why is it people respect her so much?

[ChocolatChip]

You've answered your own question, 'she is strict but fair.'

[saxy_jag]

She probably also has some respect for the kids she teaches. Little things like letting you have choices and affording you the same good manners as she would with a fellow member of staff.

[Buenchico]

Youth also helps!

When I was in my early twenties, teaching in a school with around 700 pupils, I always got at least 200 Christmas cards from the kids. As I got older, the number of cards decreased. Since I don't think that I changed that much, it must simply have been that teenagers relate better to someone nearer to their own age.

Chris

[factor-fiction]

Yes, once you reach your late 20s the students think you are ancient as you are approaching the age of their parents

[Prudie]

I'd also add as another (ex)teacher that I noticed some teachers have that indefinable certain something that made pupils respect them, like them even. It couldn't be acquired, it was almost supernatural. I expect she's got it.

[Buenchico]

Our Head of PE was like that. Even youngsters who detested PE loved Mr Topham.

[factor-fiction]

Prudie's right. With some students I've got it but in the main I just haven't , I'm afraid. Some teachers just seem to have something about them that works with most classes.

[welshlibranr]

I guess that it's all down to personality!....some have it, and some do not!........

[askyourgran]

It's interesting to note that the popular ones are usually young or have a youthful attitude to their lessons, with a certain attractiveness about them. They generally seem to have another interests within the school or take part in the extracurricular activities, ie careers advisor, field trips or sports training, where the students see them in more relaxed surroundings, at the same time maintaining their authority. "Strict but fair" has a lot to do with it too.

[Eve]

Looking back, the teachers who are more memorable as the great teachers were the strict but fair ones, the ones people wouldn't dare act up for (not me, I was a good girl haha). More memorable than the younger (although not always) more "popular" ones who went for the nice more lenient approach then wondered why they lost control and didn't get so much respect. They seemed to manage to balance the firm but fair with being pleasant but not overly friendly.

Thinking of uni days and the difference in lecturers, some just seem to be better able to capture and maintain interest better, even when teaching the same source material. They were better communicaters generally.

[boxtops]

The change in culture during the time I was at secondary school was conspicuous. In the first few years, the teachers were teachers, they expected respect and discipline and they got it (even though we still had fun in lessons) but towards the mid-sixties the younger teachers started coming in, the "call me Jim" brigade, and discipline was much worse after than. We didn't relate to those teachers, they tried too much to be our friends rather than our teachers.