Ever wonder how some teachers and students get along so well? They understand each other and help one another when experiencing difficulties. Some kids dislike the way their teachers teach and can’t stand their class, but that has to do with the amount of effort and energy they are putting in, as well. There has to be a good balance between the two. Teacher/student relationships can be complicated, but with the proper amount of effort and support from both sides, they can work out well. The ideal relationship relies on the teacher doing their best to help the student understand and in return, the student tries their best to learn; sacrifices must be made from both sides to show that both are committed.
A teacher will do their best to help their student understand everything. For example, in the movie Freedom Writers, a teacher named Erin Gruwell does everything she can possibly think of to improve her students’ test scores. The school that she teaches at provides the students with no future at all. Most of the pupils that attend this school are members of gangs and can care less about their education. Mrs. Gruwell stays after hours, late into the night, to help any students that need extra help or just someone to talk to. She even fights the school board to get new school supplies -including books and notebooks- for better learning conditions. Lastly, when the students come to class Mrs. Gruwell has new games set up daily for them to try out. It lets the students participate in class discussions and even learn something about themselves along the way. The topics that these games touch on can bring up memories and flashbacks that some of the students forgot about. Actually talking about those topics makes them feel better and allows them to express themselves in a way that they didn’t know was possible. Mrs. Gruwell cares about her students more then she cares about herself. She is always there for them when they need her, and she never gives up on them. She knows that they all have potential and believes in them every step of the way throughout their high school careers. Taking time to help students progress through life is a necessary quality to having a great teacher/student relationship.
On the other hand, a student has to give in just as much effort to understand and learn what is being taught to them. For example, in the movie School of Rock, the students are put in a position where they are no longer asked to do school work but to start a band and take the time to learn and do what is asked of them. A fake substitute teacher comes into their class and informs them that they are going to start a rock band and enter a Battle of the Bands competition. The students become very involved in the band, willing to learn their music and sing their songs. They ask for help when they need it and, in return, they get what they need. Even though this class was nothing that they thought it would be, they still put their minds to it and did what was asked of them. Their band comes together nicely because everyone did their part and went beyond what was expected. These students respected what their teacher had in plan for them and worked together as a unit. In a teacher/student relationship, a student must put in as much effort as the teacher.
A healthy teacher/student relationship involves lots of sacrifices. Teachers sacrifice their time thinking of ways to improve students’ scores, while students have to sacrifice their evenings doing their work or preparing for tests. In the movie Stand and Deliver, a teacher named Jaime Escalante spends his nights thinking of different ways to teach his students about the importance of mathematics. He never stops thinking of new ways to teach the concept of math to his students. At first, his students are unsure of how math can relate to their life, but as the semester moves along, they begin to trust their teacher. Soon enough, they have to choose between summer of freedom or a summer of learning. All of the students in his class decided to stay out of trouble and take AP calculus. They sacrificed their whole summer to turn their lives around.
Teacher/student relationships are an important part of the learning process. With one side lacking, the whole relationship can fall apart. From Freedom Writers to Stand and Deliver the teachers and students gave it their all to make school a place they wanted to be. With the proper amount of effort and commitment from both sides, the relationship can become ideal.