What is the best way to teach "respect" on the class room?

Hi Lili!
I worked in a secondary school and high school for 6months. I really don't think the problem is that kids nowadays have less respect for teachers or their elders...every generation says that! Thats what I felt too but then I realised I was just shifting the blame from myself.

Sometimes I had classes that were completely out of control!! But then an hour later, I seen them with another teacher, and they were all paying attention, asking questions and taking notes! When I seen that I knew that it was me who had to change..not them. In 6 months, the situation definitely improved, but only towards the end when I realised what I needed to do.

When students are in highschool they know the difference between right and wrong-they don't need to be taught it! Work with what they know...get them to make a list of rules which should be displayed in class. But you also need to adopt a zero tolerance approach for those who don't follow the rules. What really helps is speaking with parents, because they are the ones who really make the difference.

The lack of respect you see is really a crowd mentality in large classes. Students always behave very differently in smaller groups (those who don't usually have psychological problems which should be dealt with by a trained professional).

Things to do which help are making students sit with people who they normally don't socialize with in class.
I don't know how your classes are, I mean you seem like a very dedicated teacher, but sometimes you need to be an entertainer when you are a teacher, constantly showing students new things, playing games, making competitions...using multimedia. These students have a lot of energy and if it isn't channelled correctly, it leads to destructive behaviour.

What I'm trying to get across is to not blame the students...perhaps they have changed, but it is only because society is changing too. In general, people are good, sure some students behave badly, but they need to be dealt with separately, and eventually they will show improvement.

I don't mean to sound condescending, and honestly I don't have enough experience to tell you what it is you need to do, but what I do know is that students already know how they should behave as good people, they just need to be in an environment which facilitates that. Keep them intellectually stimulated and get them to be involved as much as possible. Also...you'll have to be stern! Unfortunately a lot of respect comes from fear at first, but after time when they know your boundaries you can loosen up.

The change will come from within you!
A hug from Colima,
Laura

About 5 years ago, I taught high school , and before my first day of class one of the teachers came up to me and said: "beware of the monsters... these kids are vicious, disrespectful, snobs"... I was appalled! How could an educator think that of his students? I quickly grasped that this teacher had equated student to "monster" and therefore made every *unconscious* effort to manifest that "monster" experience daily in his class.

I think the trick is to let go of our fears as teachers, and project something different--not easy, I know! Then the next step is to get new strategies that catch their attention. However, I think teacher attitude may be the single most important factor.

Robert G. Allen shared how he got the attention of a young crowd at a detention center--giving them incentives to listen and participate! It was quite a clever one ;)

I think that maybe you have been doing something wrong or you havent trnsmited what respect should mean for a human being. besides that i think that if i were your student i will behave the same way they are doing, let me know if you can control those kids cause if you do it , it means that you are an excellent teacher, and that way they will get something good from your clss. remember you have to be very patient to reach your goals.
your friend javier pompa june23 08