Being Human

During this most wonderful crunch time of the year reminds me as a student how important it is as a prospective teacher to be human.  When I say this, I am referring to how over many years in the system, I noticed that many teachers didn't seem to care about their students' well-being and more importantly their stress levels.  Over fifteen years in the education system, majority of the teachers I spoke with wanted me to perform and get the work done because "my class is the most important" despite the other 4-6 credits I was taking.  Very few teachers actually recognized and acknowledged that as a student's stress level was reaching capacity and asked how they were fairing.
Although marks can be important and making sure every student passes is crucial, it is also important as a teacher to be able to see when a student is struggling academic or mentally in order to offer them the assistance they need.  In the case of stress, it might not seem like a big deal to some teachers, but to that particular student, it's their everyday life, and that student's peaking stress level could majorly affect their marks or even the rest of their life.
In other education classes, people talk about power, motivation and behaviour among students but what the classwork does not go into depth about is the experience or how the student feels.  Mental health and stability are huge factors in a student's commitment to their work as well as how they are going to behave in class.  Often times, teachers see a student misbehaving or not motivating themselves to start an in-class assignment and immediately assume it to be bad behaviour, unless it is a usually well-mannered and motivated student who's outlook has changed.  What needs to be considered is that the reason a student might not be motivated or might act out is because their stress level is too high for whatever reason.
As someone who is looking at teaching high school, I realize the implications placed on teenagers in the Ontario academic and applied streams and how through the tests, assignments, exams, term projects and the regular stress of biologically transitioning from prepubescent to adulthood can be too much for some students.  It is very important to have measures in place for when students reach these critical moments so they can have the relief and support they need and still be able to succeed.  As a teacher, I would make sure to discuss plans with other teachers to make projects due at a time where other classwork will not get in a student's way, or organize more in-depth subject matter to be learned during a less stressful time in the semester.  That way when that time of the term arrives where students are up to their necks in work and tests, my class wouldn't be one they would have to worry about.  As for the system, there should be methods in place to help students with organization, one-on-one help, extra class or project time or even some in-school counselling so students can speak with a professional they can trust about situations that a teacher may not be qualified to handle.  Although a school's budget can always get in the way of these suggestions.
During this time of stress for a lot of students, being human and showing that you care as a teacher can make or break a student's day and help them feel a lot more at-ease with their situation than just pretending it isn't occurring.  Students recognize when a teacher genuinely cares for them as well and returns the respect in kind.  Thus, it also proves to be a good motivator to get students to work in your classes.