Teachers and the Impact they have on Students

"Teachers, I believe, are the most responsible and important members of society because their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth."
- Helen Caldicott

“If a teacher expects a student to fail, he will definitely never pass,” droned the voice of my Sociology teacher, which served to immediately wake me up from my slumber.

“How come?” I asked, finally interested in this topic: Sociology of Education. In reply, I got a typical haven’t-you-been-listening-for-the-past-half-an-hour look, and this phrase, “Self-fulfilling prophecy.”

If you’re raising your eyebrows at this, don’t worry. I did the same. But going into the depth of the whole theory behind this simple phrase reveals that the attitude of a teacher towards the student exerts a very strong influence on that student’s degree of academic achievement.

But, first things first, what actually is self-fulfilling prophecy? The phrase refers to a phenomenon whereby the predictions of a teacher about the ability of the student to attain educational achievements always prove to be true.

The entire process is much more complicated than this simple definition suggests. The teacher firstly, defines the pupil in a certain way, for example, as bright, or intelligent, or dumb. Based on this definition, that teacher makes predictions about that student: whether he/she will get top grades, average grades or below average grades. The interaction of the teacher with that student is then based on this definition. For instance, two students get the same marks in a test. The teacher considers one of them to be an above average student, and the other to be below average. So while handing out the papers, she might remark to the outstanding student, “What happened to you? I was expecting you to do much, much better.” And to the other student, he/she might say, “Well, I wasn’t expecting much out of you anyway. I was surprised you even appeared in the test” or probably just give a sigh of resignation. As a result of this kind of interaction, the student comes to see himself/herself in the same light as the teacher. Their academic result then also begins to complement the original predictions made by the teacher. Since the below average students never see themselves in a positive light, or as being able to achieve anything, they naturally consider any effort to succeed on their part to be futile.

Some major questions arise from this whole process. Firstly, how does a teacher define a pupil? And this definition assumes the most important role here since it affects the interaction of the teacher towards the student. The answer to this question was researched by a group of sociologists, David Hargreaves, Stephen Hester and Frank Mellor in their study “Deviance in Classroom.” In this study they distinguished three different stages through which a teacher comes to know the student. The first stage is “speculation” where the teacher guesses some basic characteristics of the students based on their appearance, personality, relationship with other children, degree of conformism to school rules etc. These guesses can be changed after a more prolonged interaction. The second stage is “elaboration.” In this stage, the teacher has had time to interact with the student more closely and thus, becomes more confident in her predictions. He/she might even decide that her first working hypothesis was wrong and may modify it accordingly. However, by the third stage, which is “stabilization” the teacher is totally confident about her evaluation of the ability of the student. He/she will now analyse the behaviour of the student in the light of this judgement. So, if a student has been labelled as “careless about studies” after this process, he/she will definitely have problems making the teacher believe otherwise.

Social class of the student may also affect the definition of a teacher. Sociologist Howard Becker interviewed sixty teachers of a high school in Chicago, and discovered that all of them gauged the behaviour of the student by comparing it to that of a “standard ideal pupil.” In their opinion, the ideal pupil was supposed to do exemplary work, be very well-mannered, and have a suitable appearance. Also, according to those teachers, middle class students were closer to their image of the ideal pupil than the working class pupils who were seen as lacking the motivation to work, and having behavioural problems. Hence, the perception of the teachers can be based on the social class of the students. Similarly, the race and ethnicity of the student can also play a vital role in the teacher’s perceptions about his/her ability to achieve academically.

The second major question is how does this definition then lead to a specific attitude? Robert Rosenthal and Leonora Jacobson illustrate this relationship in their study. They selected a sample of students, tested their IQ level, and informed their teachers that these students will show rapid intellectual growth. When they re-tested the IQ at the end of the year, all of the students in the sample showed significant increase. Moreover, the teachers had given positive remarks in all of their report books as well. Rosenthal and Jacobson concluded that the teachers communicated to the students that they had intellectual potential through their facial expressions, posture, degree of friendliness and encouragement. Thus, positive expression produced the self-fulfilling prophecy.

The basis of self-fulfilling prophecy is the prediction and expectation of a teacher, which in turn reflects on the attitude of the teacher towards that student. The question is, even if the teacher believes the prediction to be accurate, does it have to reflect on the attitude? Or is it that if the teacher expects every student to have a potential and communicates his/her optimism to the rest of the class, all the students bring him/her the laurels? In the end, it all does comes down to the attitude of a teacher. For the former question, the answer is negative. The teacher’s attitude can be positive at all times even if she believes that a student will not achieve academically. Her prediction can turn out to be wrong as a result of that positive attitude. And, as for the latter question, his/her students will definitely excel in something or the other, if he/she makes them believe in themselves enough.

Views expressed by some teachers also reinforce the same conclusion. In an educational conference which I attended, the principal of a school narrated this story, “I was on my routine round of the school. When I passed one classroom, the teacher called me inside, and showed me the copy of one of her students. She was totally exasperated with the work of that student and wanted me to admonish her severely. I looked at the copy and then told her in front of the class, that she is an intelligent pupil and from today onwards, she will have to compete with the class prefect, who was known to be an outstanding student. By the end of the month, there was a remarkable change in that student. She improved considerably, and her teacher was very surprised.”

Another teacher, who teaches Mathematics and Science in a private school narrated this incident, “In one of my classes, I had written some questions on the blackboard and asked the students come in front of the class and solve them. Students were coming one by one and doing so. However, one student was not taking any interest in the class. She even asked some funny questions and disturbed the whole class. Since I was in a very serious mood, discussing an important topic, I got very angry and asked that student to leave my class. She refused, point-blank. Now I went and sat on the last bench of the class and told the students that if this student is not going to leave the class, I will not take your class at all. The student still refused. After five minutes I realized that I was only wasting the time of the whole class, because of just one student. So I stood up, apologized to the students for wasting their time and proceeded to take the rest of the class. After the class was over, that student came up and apologized for her behaviour. After that day she has been a very active participant in the class, and secures really good grades as well.”

Having a positive attitude is by no means an easy task. Being encouraging to all students at all times, trying to interact with each student on the same footing, and acting as if every student has a major potential to succeed is a monumental task. But the important thing to remember is, that each student does have a potential. Just because Student A is not good in English, doesn’t mean he is a below average student in every subject taught in English. That student may be excellent in designing science projects, or brilliant in Mathematics. A constant encouragement may do wonders to improve the English, while a “I give up on you” or “You will never learn” attitude may stump that student in both science and maths as well. According to one teacher, “Even though each child comes from a different background, has a different learning capacity, and has a different means of expression, each is a unique and precious individual, capable of learning. These young lives have been entrusted into their teacher’s care and the job should not be taken lightly.”

“Each student will not have the same potential. Each will be challenged in some way. It is up to me, as a teacher, to find the "key" that unlocks each child’s ability to maximize his full potential and inspires him to learn. Every child can be a success at something. As a lower elementary teacher, I hope to instil a feeling of self-worth in each child at a very early age. If I can help each child build successes one at a time, I will provide the basis for a positive self-attitude throughout life. The child will then be able to accept challenges and find ways to work through these challenges independently in the future,” the same teacher elaborated.

“Teacher has to be warm and caring, capable of perceiving unrealised potential in every child, and ready to appreciate every improvement a child makes,” writes Zrinjka Stancic in “Teacher’s Attitudes Toward Teaching as a Determinant of their Readiness for Additional Professional Special Education”

“If schools are to be places that promote academic, social, and personal development for students, everything hinges on the presence of intelligent, passionate, caring teachers working day after day in our nation’s classrooms. Teachers have a colossal influence on what happens in our schools, because day after day, they are the ultimate decision makers and tone setters.” Sam M. Intrator writes in his book “Honouring the Teacher’s Heart”

A positive attitude can also be verbal. In “It’s Not What You Say … It’s How You Say It!” Linda Starr shares her favourite phrases from the Teachers’ Dictionary of Educational Euphemisms. Consider the following statements and how they can be more tactfully said:

Instead of “She never stops talking” a teacher can say, “Sarah exhibits exceptional verbal skills and an obvious propensity for social interaction.”

Instead of “He’s a bully” a teacher can say, “Paul’s leadership qualities need to be more democratically directed.”

In our educational system, since students accompany their parents to the parent-teacher meetings, the revised statements can definitely lead to a more positive self-fulfilling prophecy.

Prophesising should definitely be the result of close interaction and not the other way round. It is only through a close and unbiased interaction that the teacher will come to realize the hidden potential of every student, and make him/her achieve what he/she is capable of.