Chapter 1: Stoking the Fires Within

In this introductory chapter, there was one section that really stood out at me. This section was about listening to your students. When students have concerns in the class, and they definitely will, the teachers need to listen fully and not have a response ready before the student has finished talking. Also, the author suggests that when you paraphrase the student’s words or ask a clarifying question, it shows that you are listening. I think that this is very important for teachers to learn this quickly. The process of listening to your students and not taking the critiques personally really emphasizes the student-teacher relationship. Dealing with these types of situations with poise will ensure that students will respect you.