I’ve heard it time and time again. “I hate her so much, she’s so rude”, or, “He’s the worst teacher I’ve ever had”, along with a number of other derogatory statements, sometimes including choice words, towards teachers.

I will be the first to admit that although I am not very proud of it, I have said things like this about a teacher or two.

Let’s be honest, in any situation, when someone lacks giving us the respect that we deserve, it is hard to not immediately go and tell your friends about how your teacher just treated you, or why you felt belittled in a situation.

When things go wrong in a classroom, and something is said that should not have been, it is a natural instinct to go and tell somebody about it, because it certainly is not right.

If it is not right, then why is it happening so often?  I hear stories on the daily; it is not as if this lack of respect is a rare occurrence.

It is not only teachers who disrespect students. The students disrespect teachers as well. I’ve seen far too many students talk back to teachers in a way that I wouldn’t dare even speak to my own parents, let alone a teacher.

However, the talking back does not come out of nowhere, either. Essentially, the lack of respect is mutual among teachers and students.

USA Today conducted a survey last year which results concluded that respect at schools in general is in decline.

“Fewer adults believe teachers respect parents or students — and fewer believe parents and students respect teachers. In other words, just about every relationship in a school has soured a bit,” said Greg Toppo from USA Today.

In the survey, 2,250 adults were asked to compare their own memory of “school dynamics” when they were students versus students today.

“The percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement “students respect teachers” dropped from 79 percent to 31 percent,” said Toppo.

Not only did the “students respect teachers” statement drop, the percentage for the statement “parents respect teachers” dropped from 91 percent to 49 percent. Why exactly has this lack of respect in all areas of schooling dropped?

I believe it is due to the initial behavior of teachers. As much as I believe that children and teens should be raised to respect their elders, in the environment of a school, the teacher needs to set the example.

“I shake students’ hands when they enter the classroom. Seeing as no teacher I had ever did the same, I would say students have the same or more respect these days. It’s all about expectations and modeling behavior,” said teacher, Michael Ulmer.

When the teacher sets the first example as to what is expected in a classroom, they more likely than not will receive the respect that they show initially. If a teacher displays a lax and somewhat carefree attitude, they will receive a lax and carefree behavior from the students.

If a teacher has a snarky attitude towards students, the students will come right back with that snarky attitude, due to the initial lack of respect.

I am not saying that my teacher should shake my hand at the beginning of each class period. I am just saying that sometimes all we need is a better example.

As Dwight Moody said, “A good example is far better than a good precept.”