by Jane Smith

Created on: January 01, 2010   Last Updated: January 02, 2010

To understand what makes a great educator it is helpful to understand what it is that inspires a student to learn. Through my work in the mental health area, I meet many intelligent people who have performed poorly in school. Life stressors have a huge impact on a person's ability to concentrate and, as children, many of the people that I see have had more than their fair share of stressors. 

A mistake that teachers sometimes make when a child is not paying attention is to increase pressure. This pressure (often mistaken for discipline) causes the child to perform even more badly, so the teacher increases the pressure even more, or gets the parents involved, who also might increase pressure. The whole thing becomes a downward spiral, and the child grows into an adult with the mistaken belief that they just don't have what it takes to learn.

So what is the solution? Should a school be a stress-free zone? Well this depends upon whether we are talking about good stress or bad stress.

A stress-free environment might be seen as one that doesn't provide sufficient incentive to learn, and there is some research evidence to support this. There is a bell curve graph used to show that for optimal performance a certain amount of stimulation is needed. A totally stress-free environment might be insufficiently stimulating to encourage the best performance, just as too much stimulation makes performance drop off. But stimulation doesn't have to mean pressure. Stimulation can be enthusiasm and excitement generated by the teacher. It can be interesting material presented in an interesting way. It will include a two-way conversation with children. It will certainly include encouragement and appropriate praise for improvement. It will include some individual attention, but not negative attention. Positive regard for a child goes a very long way. We all like affirmation.

The best educators work hard at making their classrooms good places to be where children feel accepted and supported in their learning. And a little bit of fun thrown into the mix never goes astray. Learning doesn't have to be hard work. It can be engaging and enjoyable. It can provide a sense of achievement and healthy pride in a child. It can help to provide a positive counterbalance against difficulties at home and in other aspects of their life. For educators it is a wonderful opportunity to give a child a really great start in life.

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