During my career I have always kept in mind how important it is to respect students' ideas and beliefs, understand their abilities, and interpret their cues for help and support. In order to develop and maintain a positive relationship with my students I have always tried to start my classes with a warm gesture and a friendly but firm tone of voice. This has led to an authoritative practice that allowed me to create a positive classroom atmosphere where students could view me as a caring teacher whom they respect and from whom they could get not only knowledge but affectionate interaction and warmth.

Getting to know them well—their backgrounds and interests—as individuals, have helped my students to become more open and authentic in the interactions with me. I can declare that their motivation and sense of belonging in the classroom have increased, hence, a positive attitude toward school.

Offering advice or emotional support to students who are struggling with different problems at home has increased students’ willingness to learn and promoted a climate of interpersonal trust.  Nothing could give me more satisfaction than a student who overcomes a family problem. Besides, I always say that a teacher does not need to be a professional in Psychology to understand students’ general behavior. It is our common sense and personal interest that will help us find out why a student is apathetic and is not responding like others. Understanding their interest as well as what motivates them will not only allow me to tailor the instruction but the time spent will also allow them to trust in me. In other words, I try to communicate with my students beyond the classroom framework because I think that communication leads to relationship and this is what humans are strongly looking for. I have witnessed the rejection some students feel when they have been refused help because of low levels of creativity or achievement. This could be frustrating and it could leave an everlasting mark that reflects on a student’s classroom behavior and academic performance.

Regarding teaching, playing the central role of transmitting knowledge and providing resources, which took the form of information, advice, or emotional support has helped my students to develop academic competencies. I would say that I do not impart all the information about a particular topic. On the contrary, I am always supportive of analytical students, who are not satisfied with the teacher’s explanation, and try to go beyond the matter. Once they are hooked, and their interest about the topic is raised, I propose a class discussion with the intention of giving students the opportunity to expose their perspective, or inquire about the subject. It is so gratifying when students recall some information they have learned during class and are capable of inferring others. I believe that learning requires deep understanding, that it can only come when students internalize and actively apply knowledge in meaningful ways; therefore, it is my responsibility to keep updated to present a good instructional design that contributes to improving teaching pedagogical practices.