I smile greet with a hello and either use their first name or Mr or Ms followed by last name.
If class has not officially started I ask, "How are you doing or how are your studies progressing?"
When prospective students stop by my office on the school tour, I always get up, say hello, shake hands, ask questions, etc. It makes the student feel as if I care that they are looking in to coming to my school (and I do care!). If I were to just keeping working on my computer, and ignore the student in the doorway, they would not get a good impression of me. I sometimes find that since I have given a good impression (and others may not have), the students will often come to me and ask questions, as they feel comfortable with me. It's nice to know that I have made a good impression with them.
Hello! I think it's so funny that someone brought this up. This is one of my pet peeves. I often will say, "Hello, how are you?" and then the person doesn't answer. When I ask this, I'm actually wanting to know how you are!!!! I've also found that people will ask me, "how are you?", but then not wait for an answer. I think for some people, "how are you?" is just a greeting that does not need a response...sort of like just saying Hi.
Most people make a decision about you in the first 20 seconds without even talking to you
Thanks, Lawrence. Based on this fact, what can a teacher do to make sure the impression students develop about them during those 20 seconds is a positive one?
Make sure you have the right attitude and a smile on your face
SMILE, SMILE, SMILE...it only takes a second to make a difference. This welcoming gesture is most effective especially to the new students. They will always remember the person that smiled at them first. Then of course, asking how they are and if there is something you can assist them with.
We are an on-line college so making a first impression is tricky. No matter how we deliver our content, the student may receive us from varying perspectives. Therefore, we must be very specific in the tone we try to set and in the language we use. We are now using live orientation which helps a lot because students can hear our voice and they can ask questions and get an immediate response.
When my students call the first thing I always ask is "How can I help you?". It might seem like a silly thing but you would be suprised if you just listen around for some of the things you hear other people say when they answer the phone. They do not sound welcoming or treat students like a customer at all. Our students are our customers and we are here to serve them. Without our students we would not receive paychecks. We should not treat them as an annoyance when the phone rings. The first impression they deserve when they call is that they are important.
Well said, Cheryl. The students are the reason schools exist. They are not always right, but they are always our customers.
Our online division has found that talking to students regularly either via the ney or the phone has a significant positive effect.
You can make the students feel welcome by greeting them with a friendly smile and having the room look warm and inviting.
I believe that I could smile more. Individuals always tell me when they first meet me, they think that I am unapproachable and mean. Then after they get to know me they realize that it is exactly the opposite of when they first met me. I think that when I first meet people I am a little stand offish, but I can definitely work on making them more comfotable in the beginning.
True. I recently switched doctors due to fact he would enter room and immediately walk over and kiss me on top of head. This is inappropriate. (I think he has a fetish issue! lol)
With such a cultural 'melting pot' and more 'non-traditional age' students I think it best to abstain from physical contact for 'first impression' on first day.
Hugging may be highly inappropriate for many students and faculty.
The conservative approach toward physical contact is best for a teacher, especially when there is not an established rapport.
Finding something in common so they know we actually care about their learning
Eric,
How do you go about finding something in common with your students without getting "too personal?"
I always walk in with a smile on my face and greet the class with some type of joke or funny quote. It loosens everyone up.
smile and say "thank you for coming to class today!"
small queries, wher you from where you goin, what cars they like (automotive courses), do they like turning wrenches or keeping the suit and tie.... Just touch base on a impersonal loevel and they start to suppy the more indepth backround about where theyre from. and what they want to do.
