P-Planning.Teachers have to plan for what may happen.Be prepared when you go to class.Expect the unexpected and handle situations calmly.
R-Relationship.Develop a positive relationship with each student in your class.Get to know your students and think the best of them.Also develop a positive relationship with your co-workers.
A-Awareness.Know what is going on in your classroom.Be aware of the needs and different learning styles of your students.Provide different types of learning activities for the students because students learn in different ways.
Y-You (really I).What I do in the classroom is important!Take control of your classroom.Work to find what I can do to make students more interested in learning my subject matter.
E-Expectations.The more we expect of our student, the more we will get.Expect the best from them, but be sure your expectations are reasonable.
R-Responsibility.Help the student to realize that he/she is responsible for his/her own learning and his/her own grade.There is only so much that the teacher can do.
On the negative side, teachers who DO NOT HAVE A PRAYER practice the following:
P-Powerlessness.Teachers blame the administration, board of education, or legislators for what is happening in their classroom and in their school system.They don’t realize that they have a choice and can make things happen.
R-Reactionary.Teachers react to students rather than trying to develop a positive relationship with them.Reacting to negative behavior only increases the negative behavior.
A-Attitude.Has a negative attitude.
Y-You.What occurs in their classroom is someone else’s fault.Not willing to accept that they are responsible for what happens in their classroom, but wants to blame others.
E-Entitlement.I have the degree and I am the authority.This person does not realize that he/she can learn from the student as well as the student learning from him/her.
R-Resistance.This teacher is resistant to help and assistance from others.
(If you would like to view the tape of Dr. Walker’s speech, the ERC reserve desk at all campus sites has a copy.The Media Center at the Hardin Valley campus also has a copy of the tape.)