Monday, January 10, 2011

Do your students trust you?

Trust is a wonderful, powerful, and sometimes dangerous, thing. When people trust you, they give you room to make errors. They'll allow you to change them; indeed, they'll probably help you change them. When people trust you, they become open to the possibility that you should be believed.

The more trust that you have in someone, the stronger your relationship with that person becomes. The more times your mechanic fixes your car correctly on the first visit, the more you trust him. When the treatment you receive from your doctor is helpful, you gain confidence in her ability to treat your illnesses. But if your doctor seems confused by your signs and symptoms, your trust in her wanes.

Think about the times throughout history that world leaders have asked their people--either implied or explicitly stated--to trust them. Presidents, prime ministers and dictators alike have called for sacrifice based on the notion that we should trust them. Men have fought and died because they were asked to believe in something a leader told them. Sadly, the Nazis trusted Adolf Hitler's twisted vision which led to the deaths of millions of people. In 1978, 918 people died in Guyana because they trusted Jim Jones. On the other hand, the British trusted Winston Churchill and it led to the downfall of Hitler.

My question to you is this: Do your students trust you?

EMT and Paramedic students will trust you on the first day of class because that's what they've been "trained" to do based on their past experiences. There is a general understanding that the pupil respects his or her teacher. But this level of trust is not stable. What you do during that first encounter and each subsequent encounter will tip the scale either positively or negatively. Most of us can likely list our favorite teachers and mentors. People who've affected our lives in a positive way required us--at some point in time--to trust them.

Students trust you when:

1. You are honest.
2. You are consistent.
3. You hold them responsible.
4. You listen.
5. You follow through.
6. You believe in them.
7. Your actions match your words.
8. You admit your mistakes.

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