I’m planning to be a temporary teacher in my former secondary school after completing my STPM. I want to gain some teaching experience as my ambition is to become a lecturer. I think it is also a great way for me to give back to my alma mater for all those wonderful memories during my schooling days there.

I am the kind of person who enjoys mingling and hanging out with people younger than me. I also have some friends who are still at that school.
When do I stop being their “friend” and become their teacher instead?
How do I build good rapport with my students, but at the same time, be firm and strict with them?

What would be right thing to do when there is a disciplinary problem in my class? Of course I need to consult the principal or discipline teacher about this too, but do you think there’s anything else that I can do?

I’m going to do my best to ensure my students enjoy the subject that I’m going to teach, but at the same time I don’t want to be too strict nor too lenient with them.

I discovered that I love teaching when I had to coach my friends in group studies when we did the PMR. — Gakkyu

Rusyan

It’s inspiring to read from someone that has so much direction; I was pretty aimless for the longest time. I taught English as a second language for awhile, and my advice is to be yourself.

You’ll be most comfortable when you’re in your own skin and it’ll be one less thing to worry about.

Being friendly is a definite advantage because you’ll be approachable and engaging.

You won’t have a problem building rapport with your students, and I don’t think you’ll find it tricky to be strict either. Hanging out with your students is fine.

In fact, being a part of their group will give you a deeper insight on how they think and this will help in your teaching.

Adding the role of teacher to a friendship takes a certain level of discipline as there are rules that they’ll have to adhere to. Be firm about this and make it clear that there will be no special favours. Be consistent about this to everyone in all situations and it won’t take long for students to know that you’re nice, but cannot be taken advantage of.

Discipline issues should be dealt with fairness, rather than about strictness or leniency.

Focus on getting your students to understand their lesson in an interesting, creative way. Create an open, stimulating environment that puts students at the center of the learning process through engagement. Make it fun! Get this right and you’ll be the coolest teacher in school.

Su Ann

It could be a challenge balancing your professional and personal relationships with your former teachers and students. It could be difficult to get your students (who also happen to be your friends) to view you as a teacher and not a friend, simply because you are close in age to them.

Many young teachers do not like the idea of their students breaching their personal space and treating them like friends. And yet, many others are greatly successful in their teaching careers precisely because they relate to their students, and act as mentors and instructors who can both teach and motivate their students well.

Always bear in mind that your primary goal and obligation is to teach and raise academic indicators, even if this is not going to make you popular. Decide early on if this is best achieved as a ‘friendlier’ or a ‘stricter’ teacher. Being an extreme of either is not healthy.

Think about the culture of your former school and of the teachers you know who have been successful in getting results and are also well-liked by students.Consider if the students of your school have any learning needs that teachers are currently not fulfilling. This could give you an idea of how to approach your teaching. Lastly, it is important not to lose yourself in the process of trying to understand what the school and its students need.