Yes, I think there is more than one role for students. Students are learners as well as teachers. They can also be the “know-it-all”, the “class clown”, and the “teacher’s pet”. Each student plays their own part in the classroom, and there is a purpose for each. If we didn’t have these roles, how boring would that be. These types of roles motivate others, and keeps learning fun (for the most part). Students learn from the teacher as well as learning from other students. I know that some times it is easier to understand some things when it comes from a peer. Also students are teachers. Teachers learn from students and those students who help other students are teachers.

What can I say about the know it all? To a teacher and peer the know it all can be a little annoying and aggravating at times but they do hold a purpose in the classroom. Going through I was always and still am the one who wants the know it all to answer the question so I didn’t have to. However, there were those times that I wanted to be the one to answer before the know it all, just to prove that I did know something. So I think that the role of a know it all is to motivate others. And then there are the times where other students want the know it all to be wrong just so that they can point out the fact that they were wrong. With that I think that the know it all serves the role of the conversation/debate starter. In math when there are wrong answers then there is normally a discussion about why and how it is wrong and what can be done to correct the problem.

In the classroom there are those students who like to sit in the back of the class and then those who sit in the front of the class. In the classroom we are more likely to call on those who sit in the back because they are the least likely to be paying attention. Maybe in an online environment if there is a student who does not participate or just gets by with doing the minimum then maybe we could ask those students questions in a chat or send them a message or comment asking them to explain their responses in more detail. You could also have them respond to someone who is a front row student. Those in the front statistically do more than other students.

In our society we always learn from one another. Students learn from teachers and teachers learn from students. I learn from my students everyday. It may not be about what I am teaching them at the moment but I learn. I’ve learned about cars and dirt bikes and sports and video games. There was one day that I was helping a student in reading and we were answering fact and opinion questions and one had to deal with elephants. I asked her what she knew about elephants and she told me a fact that I had never heard before. Did you know that the ears of an African Elephant are in the shape of Africa?

What do we call a teacher today? Is a teacher a bridge or are they a guide? I think that they are both. To be a bridge means that they have the knowledge to get the students from point A to point B. But sometimes just being the one to fill the gap is not enough. The teacher then becomes the guide. The teacher has to guide that student across the bridge. There may be some cracks or even a hole in the bridge that the student has stumbled upon and the teacher has to help them through it. So if the teacher can be the bridge but not the guide then what good is that teacher?

And what if they don’t want to cross that bridge? What do we do then? I know that we can lead the horse to water but we can’t make it drink, but shouldn’t we as teachers at least try to get students to cross that bridge?

I think anyone can be a teacher, but I think it depends on the subject as to whether or not the teacher is a good teacher.

I think that the role of the teacher in that since is good. A lot of people don’t have the money or the time to take classes from a well known source or a school that has a lot of credential. The education that a person gets shouldn’t have to come from a school like Harvard or Yale. I think that as long as the person understands the knowledge that he/she needs in order to be successful in society today then that should be enough. If they can pass the test with high standards and get the piece of paper that says they are ready to use that knowledge to help others or start a career then it shouldn’t matter if they went to a community college. I’m sure that out there, there are people going to community colleges that are more knowledgeable than someone who is going to say Harvard or Yale.

I whole heartedly believe that the role of the teacher comes from within. You have to want to teach in order to be a good teacher. I know a lot of students who are going through the education program who I think would not be suitable to teach. They show no compassion for the students or the subjects that they are teaching. The only reason they teach is because they think that it is an easy way to get through college.

I have been tutoring math for quite some time now and, I hate to blow my own horn, but I don’t think that any of the other tutors here have gotten the praise and respect that I have. The students that I have tutored have always told me that I would make a great teacher because I am a caring person. They always came to me because the other tutors would never sit down with them and explain their mistakes and ways that they could minimize those mistakes. In the lab, we are supposed to keep track of their scores and help whenever necessary, so when a student gets a low grade on a test then I ask them if they would like for me to go over the test with them, and others don’t.

I think teaching should hold the same concepts as tutoring. The teacher should have a passion for the subject that they are teaching as well as a passion to helping the students understand and learn the subject being taught.

The relationship between teacher and learner should be based on trust and respect. Teachers are like parents. We teach, listen, and discipline children on an everyday basis. Teachers need to get to know all of their students and the students need to get to know the teacher. If the teacher knows the students well enough he/she can relate education to what the students like to do. The teacher also has to show that they want to be in the classroom or in the online course. If the teacher shows that they want to be there then it shows that they care and then the students will feel welcome and want to learn. Same goes for the students. It’s basically a give and take relationship.

The role of the teacher should be one that engages the student in learning and is there as a guide to the childs learning. Whether it is online or in the classroom the role is the same. Both the teacher and the student are responsible for the learning but the teacher should be able to get the student to want to learn. The teacher should also be able to create a friendly environment for the students. That can be done in the classroom and online. If the sites and technology that the teacher uses for the course are user friendly and do not cause anxiety for students then the environment will be friendly.