Thanks to my teaching experiences, I've learned a few things about this field that my TESOL program didn't even pretend to be interested in addressing. One thing I learned is a teacher possesses great emotional power over his or her students. Another thing I learned is certain teaching behaviors can make or break teachers in the classroom.

I teach Thai students--students who have low self-esteem and low expectations of themselves. This mindset was probably ingrained years ago by their Thai teachers. Thankfully, I have at least one thing going for me--I'm NOT a Thai teacher. This helps a LOT. Another thing that helps me is ignoring the advice my Thai teachers give me about teaching 'properly'. Yeah, when a Thai teacher tells me how to deal with my students, I try to do the opposite. That attitude has gotten me farther than anything. So, What actions do I take?

Keep reading.

Often students' self-esteem is undermined through sanctions, discrimination, disapproval, and failure experiences in the eduation 'process'. Thai teachers engaging in such activities is as normal as the rainfall. Unfortunately, they are letting school get in the way of their students' educations.
After observing Thai teachers' 'techniques', I learned that increasing my own students' self-esteem is critical. If I ignore the issue of self-esteem, my students form protective strategies that ultimately disengage them from academics. I then find I have students who procrastinate with homework assignments or don't do homework in the first place, mismanage study time, come late to class or don't come at all, cheat on tests and exams, and form an overall negative attitude towards school. Not good.

Something else I've realized is teachers often help bring down their students' self-esteem in subtle ways and not really be aware of it. One thing a teacher does that ultimately damages students' self-esteem is 'labeling'. Yeah, labeling is big back where I'm from in the US. However, I've found it doesn't work well here. If a teacher starts 'labeling' his or her students, ultimately that will drive at least some of those students' motivation and interest levels through the floor.

You know the routine here. First, the labels are affixed in teachers' minds--some students become known as 'slow' or 'disinterested'. Then things move to more self-esteem-damaging behaviors on the part of teachers. For instance, a teacher'll start partonizing his or her 'labeled' students, not give them adequate time to answer questions, or maybe give them 'easy' homework, deny them the benefit of the doubt in borderline cases when it comes to grading, or simply start ignoring them altogether in their classes.

These teachers are not fooling anybody. The 'slighted' students realize what's going on and withdraw. Before long, the students and their teacher are caught in a downward spiral with five students coming to classes that have 40. Nice job.

Don't let it happen to you.

In your own classes, avoid labeling your students. Understand you are setting up a failure continuum if you do. Teachers are constantly evaluating and reacting to their students, but their students in turn are doing the same to their teachers.

In your own classes, be sure your reactions are always positive, heap praise on students ONLY when it's deserved, bend your class standards to accommodate ALL types of learners, never patronize students, accomodate 'creative thinking', and treat students equally.

Your job is to teach. Don't drive your learners away by lowering their already-dismal self concepts of themselves. Make sure students in your classes understand they all will be treated fairly and equally and will have equal opportunities to succeed. And be sure to instill in their heads they CAN succeed if they will only try. Some, especially Thai students, need a LOT of encouragement.