Thursday, November 22, 2007

Response: "Etre et Avoir"

The most profound message that I took away from the video was the importance of body language and presence while in the classroom. Mr. Lopez did more teaching his students with his actions than his voice. He got down to their level. He helped them hold the marker and write the word. He looked them in the eye. He was always calm, always confident, never showing any frustration or fatigue, which I am sure he must have felt at many points during the day. This paid dividends in how his class functioned. It was controlled and productive not because he ruled with an iron fist and shouted commands but because he knew how to engage them, the students understood the expectations, and he was ready. This was all reflected in how he carried himself. Nonverbal communication is extremely important, especially around children because they are very sensitive to it. The success of any activity is as much based on how it is run as its actual content. I think the way we carry ourselves inside and outside the classroom will have a big impact on how effective we are at Gandhi Ashram.

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