Students (and their parents, your colleagues, and members of the public) notice everything about their teachers. This can work in our benefit or it can work against us. If you want their hyper-attention to everything about you to work in your favor (and theirs, too), then attend to the ideas in this article.
Do you have any ‘tics’ or habits?
We ALL have some verbal or physical tic or habit that detracts from our professional presence. And believe me, your students will let you know even if no one before them ever has. You’ll see yourself mimicked, often good-naturedly, and it’s only then you realize that there’s some funny movement you always make with your head.
Other times, you might hear kids talking about something that you do that they are making fun of. It’s painful, however, be smart and learn from what they are making fun of. And…if you can find out early in your professional life about anything you say constantly (e.g., ‘like, she was all…’) or a distracting physical habit you have, then you can quickly and relatively easily, make changes and corrections.
So ask someone to give you feedback on any tics or habits that you have that could be distracting to others. Note: Ask it on a day when you have pretty good self-esteem.
Is your handshake a professional and firm one?
In the professional world throughout most of the U.S., adults are expected to know how to shake hands. It is VERY possible that no one ever taught you how. The idea is this: Your handshake needs to be firm vs. flimsy or floppy; strong, but not a death grip; and web to web.
If you look at your hand and stretch your fingers apart, the area between your thumb and index finger is the ‘web.’ When you shake hands with someone, you want your web and his/her web to touch. If you keep this in mind, it prevents you (or the other person) from just shaking the ‘tips.’ Gripping the tips is neither dainty nor feminine (and men who only shake the tips of a woman’s hand are not respectful of the woman). So get in there! Web to web! Practice with others so you can get the right grip – not too soft and not too hard. Just right!
Do you ‘smell’?
Generally speaking, if you have a scent, it needs to be a good one. And, even if it’s a good one, less is better than more. Someone who douses on a handful of cologne each morning (and a few times during the day for good measure) is not being sensitive to the rest of us. A little cologne, a little perfume, a bit of scented lotion, etc. are all fine and are quite nice, actually. Students like it when you “smell good,” and they’ll tell you, too. So, just make sure you have a good scent and that it doesn’t arrive in a room before you do – and that it doesn’t linger long after you’ve left.
Remember, you want your students (and their parents and your colleagues + the public) thinking about the fact that you are a professional educator. See if you need to make any changes in your habits, handshake, and aroma. Just a thought.