{"id":140768,"date":"2019-03-17T12:00:30","date_gmt":"2019-03-17T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truthforteachers.com\/?post_type=podcasts&p=140768"},"modified":"2024-08-12T02:08:44","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T07:08:44","slug":"warm-demander","status":"publish","type":"podcasts","link":"https:\/\/truthforteachers.com\/truth-for-teachers-podcast\/warm-demander\/","title":{"rendered":"The Warm Demander: How to raise expectations (and have students rise to meet them)"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week on the Truth for Teachers<\/a> podcast:\u00a0There’s a lot of research out there about what it means to be a warm demander but what I’m hoping to add to the conversation with this episode is a personal touch: What exactly does being a warm demander look like?<\/em><\/p>\n

“The warm demander” approach isn’t something that’s brand new.\u00a0 In fact, the term was coined by Judith Kleinfeld back in 1975. \u00a0It\u2019s an equity approach, grounded in showing students that you care and refuse to give up on their achievement. Being a warm demander is about mutual respect, and making it clear from your tone and body language that student effort is non-negotiable and you believe in students\u2019 ability to succeed. A warm demander builds trust and relationships by listening to kids and affirming them. Yet, a teacher who takes the warm demander stance also pushes kids and doesn’t allow them to settle for less than they’re capable of.<\/p>\n

There’s a lot of research out there about what it means to be a warm demander, and how that approach helps kids (particularly kids of color) be successful in the classroom. But what I’m hoping to add to the conversation with this episode is a personal touch: What exactly does being a warm demander look like?<\/em> What, specifically, do we mean by being “warm” and what’s a healthy model of being “demanding”?<\/p>\n

I want to focus mostly on the demeanor of a teacher who is a “warm demander,” because I feel like that’s the most nebulous part. Everyone knows to have high expectations for kids, develop relationships, teach them to persevere even when things are hard, and so on. But personally, I think the key to making those strategies work is in your demeanor: how you communicate those expectations and care for your students through tone, facial expressions, and body language. I haven’t seen very much written or shared online about that part, so I thought it might be helpful to talk about what worked for me and a few of the educators I learned from.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to give a disclaimer right up front that I am not implying that you as the teacher bear full responsibility for getting kids to stay engaged and do their work. There are many reasons that students fail to meet expectations and many of those reasons have nothing to do with the teacher’s rapport or personality or teaching style. There is no implication here that if you execute this strategy perfectly, all your kids\u2019 disengagement and behavioral and learning issues will disappear.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ll tell you why I like this approach. The warm demander stance is focused on something you can control \u2014 your own behavior \u2014 rather than on manipulating or cajoling or rewarding or punishing students for THEIR choices. Trying to control other people leads to frustration. Focusing on you is where the real power’s at because you can choose how you show up in your classroom each day.\u00a0There\u2019s something very empowering about setting boundaries and limits to what you will accept, and then choosing to respond in a firm yet warm way when those limits are pushed.<\/p>\n

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Want to listen instead of read?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Listen to episode 157 below,
\n<\/strong>or subscribe in your podcast app.<\/strong><\/h3>\n