As a teacher, your students learn from you. And sometimes, you pick up a thing or two from your students. Naturally, the more experience you gather, the more you may have adapted your original teaching philosophy or classroom policies to better meet your students.
So I'm curious. What experience did you have with a student that impacted you and caused you to change something about how you teach — whether it be your grading policy, homework policy, late work policy, or something else?
Maybe you couldn't understand why a student was so hung up over something — like a few points on an assignment — only to learn they were experiencing something behind the scenes.
Perhaps you couldn't fathom why a student was acting out toward their classmates or seemed disconnected, only to learn about something happening in their home lives.
Did you recognize your neurodivergent students* and decide to make your classroom more supportive of neurodiversity?
Or, did you decide that your students could inform you at the beginning of class if they preferred not to be called on if they were having a more difficult day? Maybe you've changed how you give feedback to better suit your kids?
No matter the experience, tell us about the time your student left an impact and caused you to change how you teach or run your classroom. You could be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post. And, of course, we appreciate your compassion, empathy, and the work you do for our students.
If you wish to respond anonymously, please submit your response in this anonymous form.