High school - Research Paper Example

Mazen Alqethamy ENIN450 November 30, High Schools What kinds of relationships exist between and teachers? There are a lot of relationships between students and teachers. Barriers play a key role in these relationships. Some teachers do not like to talk much with students, and some students do not like to speak with teachers. Communication exists between students and teachers inside and outside the school because sometimes, teachers help students in things, issues and concerns outside the academic endeavor. Also, some students have established friendly relationships with teachers. The high preference for feedback from teachers apparently results from students’ positive attitudes and comments about the teachers’ feedback (Zacharias 2007). Likewise, as disclosed, the teacher and student preferences for feedback allegedly stem from the students’ awareness that teachers have dominant control over grades (Zacharias 2007). However, students often are afraid of teachers due to formal relations between them. Sometimes, students cling to their opinions, leading to a controversial relationship between student and teacher. There are various phases in a person’s development and growth which are more memorable than others. For some, high school life is the most endearing due to the new relationships and experiences that occur at the opportune time. As adolescents explore the world and develop strong bonds with friends and teachers, it is recognized that level and depth of relationships differ according to formal or informal structures (Chapter 4: School and Classroom Environment). With regard to student-teacher relationships, some students have formal relationships with teachers, and some of them have informal relationships with teachers. Formal relationships between students and teachers exist when communication patterns and lines of authority are clearly established and enforced. As defined, formal structures observe “sets of rules and regulations that define the relationships between people and tasks, and determine the distribution of power” (Capra 104). In formal relationships, there are evident boundaries and communication is made on a professional manner. The manner of speaking, words chosen, topics of conversation are formally structured and focus mainly on academic performance and progress of the student. Likewise, even the way professors dress or be addressed by title affects the way students apparently perceive relationships as strictly formal (Sebastian and Bristow). Likewise, in formal relationships between students and teachers, the role and position of an educator as deemed of higher authority is strictly enforced. This includes addressing the teacher in proper designations and maintaining a safe distance that establishes a delineating, though imaginary barrier between the two. Proper protocols in behavior are expected from both students and teachers are exhibited as they interact, seek academic support, or engage in regular communication and correspondence. According to the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Georgia, the formal structure of student – teacher relationships were identified to be the standard in academic settings in other countries, but apparently not common in the United States. As explicitly noted, “informality is an accepted standard in dress, speech, and interpersonal relations; consequently, students may address (teachers) with an honorific title such as Mr., Ms., or Dr., but otherwise teachers could be approached much as they would another student. In some departments, teaching assistants are addressed by their first name” (Center for Teaching and Learning par. 3). Concurrently, some students and teachers get to establish informal relationships as manifested from the way they communicate, interact, and address each other. Under information relationships, there exists “fluid and fluctuating networks of communications. These communications include nonverbal forms of mutual engagement…through which skills are exchanged and shared tacit knowledge is generated. The shared practice creates flexible boundaries of meaning that are often unspoken” (Capra 104). As such, conversations could include topics beyond academic performance and could delve into personal matters and social chats. In addition, under informal relationships, some students or teachers could express increasing inhibitions to express freely whatever comes to mind, without any regard for restrictions, rules or boundaries of roles, position, or authority. As such, there are evident risks of going overboard and undermining personal issues beyond the academic setting. The conformity to strictly adhere to positions and power or authority is latently neglected under informal relationships where a more friendly, accommodating, and impersonal interaction is evidently exchanged. It is as if roles of students and teachers are momentarily suspended to serve diverse needs, interests and goals. As emphasized, under the informal relationship, “students reflect a challenging attitude that can be very disconcerting to teachers unaccustomed to informal teacher-student relationships. In this country, persons presenting themselves as authorities, specialists, or experts on a subject are generally expected to be willing and able to stand up to challenge on that subject; therefore, a student’s questioning of information usually represents a sincere desire to better understand that information rather than a personal attack on the teacher” (Center for Teaching and Learning par. 13). Thus, it could be deduced that informal relationships challenge the educator’s competencies to discuss concerns and issues beyond the academic setting. In sum, in the academic setting, some students have formal relationships with teachers, and some of them have informal relationships with teachers. There are schools that clearly establish policies and rules regarding the kind of relationships that are allowed to persist. Likewise, as noted, there are some cultures, such as the Western culture or schools in the United States that commonly acknowledge information student – teacher relationships as common and accepted. The application of the kind of student – teacher relationship, according to formal or informal structure, therefore depend on the academic setting, the cultural orientation, the policies and procedures, as well as personal and professional preferences of the educators. As aptly advised by Dix, “seasoned professionals know that the key is to be friendly and not friends, to be honest but not reveal personal lives and to be open but not transparent” (6). Works Cited Capra, Fritjof. Hidden Connections: A Science of Sustainable Living. Anchor, 2004. Print. Center for Teaching and Learning. "Student-Teacher Interactions." 2012. University of Georgia. 29 November 2012 . "Chapter 4: School and Classroom Environment." 2005. National Curriculum Framework. 29 November 2012 . Dix, Paul. "Friendly but not friends: Balancing formal and informal relationships with pupils." Independent Schools Magazine. 2009. Print. Sebastian, Richard J. and Dennis Bristow. "Formal or Informal? The Impact of Dress and Forms of Address on Business Students Perceptions of Professors." Journal of Education for Business (2008): 196-201. Print. Zacharias, Nugrahenny T. "Teacher and Student Attitudes toward Teacher Feedback." Indonesia: Satya Wacana Christian University. 2007. Print. 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