Nurse Educator: What I Have Learned
My interaction with a nurse educator has been positive because the educator provided a good learning environment by essentially banning negativity from the classroom and promoting an atmosphere of positivity. This inclined me to want to excel and to do my best in the class, and it also diminished any fears of failure I might have had because I knew that the teacher would not harp on failures but would always be encouraging. Thus, the teacher removed the pressure from the classroom and made the experience very enjoyable. I wanted to do well in the class just to show my gratitude for the positivity that the teacher brought.
The educator was also always attentive to questions and needs of the students, going above and beyond the average teacher: this educator always asked how we were, if we were getting everything we needed, if we had any questions. The teacher would take time to meet with anyone who wanted extra help and never showed any signs of annoyance or of being busy with other work.
One way the nurse educator made a difference was through the art of "empowering others" which the teacher made it a point to do (Conger, 1989, p. 17): not only did the teacher provide the information but also provided the tools to succeed through an excellent assessment of ethics and how to interact with patients, giving the student a firm grasp of practical exercises. The teacher also emphasized the duty of the nurse to be honest and even if one makes a mistake to admit the mistake and let everyone in the unit know so as to avoid troubles from trying to hide it later down the road. This is an important part of being transparent in the nursing field (Philipsen, Soeken, 2011).
On the other hand, faculty behaviors that do not provide a good learning environment are related to the atmosphere as well. Nurse educators who do not show up on time for class give the impression of not...
They appear to be busy and the spread the example of being too busy to give attention to others, which is dangerously contagious. This sort of behavior has a negative impact on the class and does not produce a good learning environment. Plus, when the educator allows negativity to permeate the classroom it reduces the ability of struggling students to want to reach out.
If I were to select faculty behaviors and incorporate them into my own teaching style, I would incorporate the one regarding the banning of negativity. I believe this is a very important step in cultivating the right kind of teaching atmosphere. Positivity is forward-motivating whereas negativity simply serves to pull one down and to keep them held back. The teacher should always be positive and always reinforce concepts and support struggling students by giving positive reinforcement and inspiring through an uplifting message that is full of encouraging words and tones. This is the essence of proper orientation that needs to be more of a trend in today's classrooms. Negativity is too daunting of an obstacle for many learners, so it becomes the task of the teacher to orient the classroom towards a policy of positivity -- essentially banning negativity from the classroom so that the learner is better able to focus on what he can do and what the goal is rather than on doubts and frustrations (Knight, 2011).
Faculty should handle situations of harassment, bullying, hearsay, and gossip in a learning environment by addressing those issues directly and not trying to sidestep them or get around them by ignoring them. They are serious issues that need to be addressed in the classroom where they are happening. Bullying, for example, can be very negative on the classroom environment and can keep students from learning, which is why they are there in the first place. Thus the teacher should…
