The most important thing I have learned as a TTOC, and teacher candidate, is that relationships are key.  Good relationships make school fulfilling and enjoyable, while bad relationships derail both teaching and learning.  In Every Kid Needs a Champion (2013), Rita Pierson, expert educator, argues that “kids don’t learn from people they don’t like”; that learning only occurs if there is a positive relationship between student and teacher; and that student-teacher relationships must be built upon positive, not negative, reinforcement.  When teachers reinforce and reaffirm student uniqueness, intelligence, capability, and skill, they have the power to influence student thinking and student action—that is, “say they are good or successful enough times, and they’ll believe it!” (Pierson, 2013).  Teachers, then, are the “real influencers”—more influential than social media stars (Naysmith, 2019).

Canadian teachers spend, on average, 190 days instructing students each school year (Whelan, 2019).  Elementary teachers are with the same 20-27 students for six hours a day, five days a week, for a total of 1,140 hours per year!  Depending on parent or guardian work schedules, these students could be with their teachers more hours each week than their own kin!!  Think about that for a second.  Our students could be spending more time with us than anyone else in their entire lives, so how can we not be “influencers”??  For a great portion of their day, week, and year, students are being exposed to our teachings (our ways of thinking, knowing, being, and doing); to our personality traits; to our beliefs, values, and interests; and no matter how hard we try to hide them, our inherent biases.  

In the presence of good relationships, then, our students will most-likely value our input and soak in our feedback like sponges.  Students will watch, and they will listen, which is why our job is so influential.  Teachers are in a privileged (and powerful) position to help mold and shape the minds of students.  With such privilege and power comes great responsibility: to be knowledgeable and up to date on the changing realities of work and career development, in so that we can help students navigate and prepare for the ever-changing career dynamics of the future.  Teachers must be adaptable and open to change.  We cannot just espouse a growth mindset, but rather adopt one ourselves.  Teachers cannot stay stuck in the past, comfortable in what they know and perhaps did themselves (i.e., fixed mindset).  Rather, they must pledge to become life-long learners.  As teachers, we must go forth and be forward thinkers, committed to consistent and collaborative professional development (e.g., Critical Friends), and stay up to date on the latest research, data, and evidence coming out of the career development world.

References

Bambino, Deborah. (2002, March 1). Critical Friends. [Article] ASCD.org. Uploaded on March 5, 2022 from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/critical-friends

Pierson, Rita. (2013, May 3). TED Talks Education. Every Kid Needs a Champion. [Video] You Tube – TED. Uploaded on September 20, 2021 from https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion

Naysmith, Stephen. (2019, October 6). New Research Shows That Teachers are More Influential Than Social Media Stars. [Article]  Uploaded on May 5, 2022 from https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17950490.teachers-important-young-people-social-media-stars-youtube-instagram—say-parents/

Whelan, Lisa. (2019, October 30).  How many weeks in a school year – Comparing term dates in Canada & UK. [Article] Engage Education.  Uploaded on May 8, 2022 from https://engage-education.com/can/blog/how-many-weeks-in-a-school-year-comparing-term-dates-in-canada-uk/