Teaching is a relationship between two people

Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday September 7, 2026 06:00

It is against this background that teachers should not content themselves with the mere art of perfecting their mastery of teaching. Perfection of classroom delivery is not negotiable but it should be accompanied with the responsibility of ensuring that students come to the party as active participants.

The plot in the classroom is lost when teachers reach a stage where they give up on this important responsibility and simply decide to stick on delivering their bit. Teachers should also care enough to watch and monitor carefully the demeanours and conduct of the recipients of their efforts: the students.

As stated earlier teaching is a relationship. It requires equal participation from the two principal actors in the classroom theatre — the teacher and the student. It serves no useful purpose for the teacher to work so hard and act alone while the student sits and watch their performances indifferently. In circumstances like that, teachers may justifiably feel abused, because they are carrying the weight single-handedly.

Like any other endeavour, teaching and learning have their own norms, and those norms should be adhered to by all learners. Some classroom norms are basic but fundamentally essential. Having the right text book or notebook for the right subject is a simple requirement which should be easy to follow.

But not all students, it has been found, adhere to basic but important classroom norms. Non adherence can be a signal of a bigger problem, which if not addressed, can ultimately lead to a mission drift. Bringing a wrong text book to the classroom could be a sign of lack of readiness for the business of the day.

It is a must that when coming to class student must demonstrate preparedness to receive instruction and participate meaningfully.

Even coming to class with unkempt hair could be a sign of unpreparedness or lack of respect for the team or work at hand.

Any way ward behaviour, no matter how minute it may look, should not be entertained at all especially when the behaviour is repetitive.

Working together as a collective, when learning tasks, demonstrates a healthy classroom atmosphere and a common commitment to the principle of mutual respect and survival.

Learners who break the norms and drift to things unconnected with the business of the day do not only frustrate their teachers but normally they do not succeed in their learning endeavours. Of course, not all students are the same. A degree of peculiarity can and should be entertained. Different minds learn at different paces. But a total departure from classroom norms brings about disastrous consequences. Students are meant to participate in classroom activities as a unit. No one should be left out, and no one should be permitted to drift away. When everyone is present not just physically, but mentally the classroom ceases assuming the character of a solo performance and becomes a shared responsibility.

That is where real learning happens. A laissez-faire kind of environment should not be entertained in the classroom. Rules exist to be followed and there should be no compromise. Orderly classroom instructions take place where rules matter.

Teachers should therefore unapologetically insist on adherence to the classroom decorum. They should not allow students to get away with misdeamenours which are not consistent with the classroom etiquette. Students at all times should not only bring their bodies to class but should bring their minds and souls. Actions speak louder than words.

A classroom maintains healthy relationships when there is team efforts and attention not a situation when some relegate themselves into the background and watch the performance of isolated actors.