Respect and caring: JMU graduate shows that it matters

Teaching seniors at high school as a first-time educator can be difficult. Hannah Martin saw it as a challenge worth taking. While earning her Master of Arts in Teaching at JMU, Hannah worked full-time as a Secondary English leave-replacement teacher at Staunton High School. She took the role thinking that “maybe, If I actively demonstrated respect to these students, and expressed interest in their passions and their feelings, they would reciprocate that same level of respect in my classroom.” Hannah wanted to foster this healthy teacher-student relationship. Her approach required time, patience, and a lot of effort. She knew she could make a difference. And she did.   

Hannah had clear goals: She wanted to improve her students’ academic achievement, boost their motivation and attendance, better manage her classroom, and support her student’s social and emotional growth. Colleagues warned her that teaching seniors would be tough. They said that many students would most likely skip class or put in minimal effort during their final semester. Nevertheless, Hannah was determined to find a way to make her students want to work with her. 

Hannah used several strategies to build relationships. She used track and field coaching to connect with students in a more informal and relaxed setting, spend more time with them, and build trust outside the classroom. She also set up a class Instagram account to feature student work. She posted their projects and students would encourage and appreciate each other’s work, making learning feel relevant and “cool.” Hannah also organized “Anonymous Friday” sessions, where students could anonymously submit questions for class discussions. Anonymous Friday had a slow start. At first, few students submitted questions. But with experience, students submitted so many questions there was never enough time to discuss them all. Hannah reported that students got so comfortable asking questions, they started discussing these matters with each other, outside of class as well.

Hannah asked students to conduct the research necessary to conduct a mock career fair in their classroom. The project required students to explore careers that they were personally interested in pursuing. Hannah recalls how one of her students said that she had no career aspirations. She was planning to stay home after high school to help their siblings. Through this assignment the student found a passion for beauty and cosmetology. She focused her project on beauty schools and is now a licensed esthetician.

Hannah connected with her students by being involved in their daily activities. She ate lunch with them, went to their sports events, and school plays to respect her students’ interests and to support them.

These approaches took time. But her hard work paid off. Students started participating more and improving academically. When she started the year, 20% of her students were not on track to graduate on time. At the end of the year, all of her students graduated. What started as a challenge became a memorable success, both for her and her students.

Learn how JMU’s Master of Arts in Teaching program can prepare you to make a difference in the classroom. Visit our program page to see more.