Is it ok for a teacher to cry in front of her students?

Question

Is it ok for a teacher to cry in front of her students?

Answer 1

Of course is not if is anything like my school don't let students see that a teacher is weak but ,that's my school teachers have feelings and are just as normal as student crying

Answer 2

I cried twice this year. I don't cry often, but I cried at my student's 8th grade graduation, I cried when the class surprised me with a special card after they found out my 14 year old dog passed away....I think it is important that students see teachers as people too.  

I don't think teachers should cry at everything...personal stuff should be left at the door....arguments with spouses, etc...they should never let the kids drive them to tears with behavior issues...but teachers aren't machines, nor do students want to be taught by insensitive machines!

Answer 3

no, a teacher should always be professional and should not cry infront of her  or his students, Go out into the hall or excuse yourself. get another teacher to look after the class while they pull themselves together.

Answer 4

It depends.  Crying because the children are misbehaving is unprofessional.  Crying because you are hurt, or because one of your students is hospitalized or has passed away, or perhaps shedding a tear while reading an emotionally sad story to your students would all be acceptable.  Teachers are human like everyone else, and I wouldn't pay attention to folks who say we should never show emotion.  If that's what they want, they should hire robots.

Answer 5

no

be professional!

Answer 6

Not usually.  Leave personal issues at home.

Answer 7

I think it depends on the situation.  If the teacher is crying because they are frustrated or angry at the class or student, it is inappropriate.

If the teacher is reading a touching book, watching a sad movie, listening to a moving speaker, or relating a story related to the curriculum, I don't see how it is harmful.  Healthy adults express emotion appropriately.  If kids see how passionate you are about a subject, they may become more involved themselves.

Answer 8

Unprofessional?  *tsk, tsk*  How judgmental.  I hope you were never one of my students.

Even education professors cry in front of the students on occasion for various reasons.  You teach who you are and to think that you can leave your "personal life" at home is crazy.  Your personal (and professional) life is going to have an impact on how you teach.

I cried in front of my pre-service education students when I told them about my father and the legacy he left behind.  I cried in front of my students when I had to talk to them about how to handle crisis situations with their students (like helping them cope with war, natural disasters, etc.).  And I cried in front of them when discussing all of the ways children can fall through the educational cracks.

There will be times when you feel like crying because you are so frustrated due to power struggles.  To me, I believe that is when you call a "community circle" and discuss what is going on and get the students' ideas on how to make the classroom a learning environment AND to tell them that you want to cry because they are letting themselves down (even if they don't know it).

Is it okay for a teacher to cry in front of her students?  Absolutely.  But never cry as a way to manipulate students because you're losing a power struggle.

Manipulating students is unprofessional.

Answer 9

No, unless its the last day of school and you are going to miss your students and wish them well because they have so much potential.

My science teacher started making a speech about how she thinks we will all do so well in high school and she broke down in tears :) It was HILARIOUS.

Answer 10

I agree with the other folks. It depends on the situation. I will NEVER say its UNPROFESSIONAL, but, the kids need to know the WHY. my dad died while I was teaching and one of the classes made me drawings. Don't discount the support kids can give in times of need. There are some great ones out there.

Answer 11

It is OK, but as many others have stated, there better be a really good reason for it, and sharing why with the class would be appropriate.  G00D Lvck.

Answer 12

Never.  A teacher should exemplify strength and leadership.

Answer 13

im a student going into 7th grade now so you might consinder my point of view...

it depends why i guess...

i mean we were reading a book in class (Freak the mighty)

and when little Freak/Kevin died, my teacher AND my friend Hannah cried a little.

but from kids not listening,

if my teacher said like starting to cry and saying "i cant take this" and walks out the door for a minute or two,

i think the kids would talk togehter and quiet down and be like...man...we should stop shes crying..

but if its from loss of a familey member or etc,

id say tough it out but say at the beginning of the day what hapened and that you're really sad and then the kids would most likely say aww and comfort you so u can feel better and stay strong through the day. or go home and get a sub if ur about to cry from sadness=[

idk if any of this helps.. =P good luck :-)

Answer 14

Depends wat are you crying about and if its really bad yea i guess its ok but maybe your students will think your just going thru a tough time!

Answer 15

I actually had a teacher cry in front of my class once, my college art professor. She's so dedicated to her work and helping us. She gave us a speech on dedication and how if we wanted to be artists we needed to live art, as in we needed to feel it and while she was explaining that we needed passion and how she's seen some of us in the class with the passion to do, she was crying. She actually was extremely moving, and I changed my major to something I was passionate about.

Answer 16

Obviously it's OK if there is a traumatic or emotional event.  I saw my teachers cry when Kennedy was assassinated, and I saw my colleagues cry when one of my students was killed.

Never cry out of frustration.  Bite your tongue if you have to.  If a class is totally out of control, simply write "minutes of detention" on the board, sit down calmly, and count on your fingers conspicuously enough for the students to see.

Answer 17

yea it ok like when someone dies or gets hurt

Answer 18

There are times when it might be appropriate - when she hears that one of the students has died, or if she is reading a very emotional poem.  It would NOT be appropriate to cry out of frustration with the class's behavior, however!

Answer 19

Depends.  I think if something sad occurs (not just the teacher having a bad day), it is okay.  A teacher is a role model of how to become a healthy adult, and being a healthy adult includes emotions such as anger, happiness, and sadness.

Answer 20

Sounds a little unprofessional to me but I'd have to know the circumstances to make a firm response.

Answer 21

Why not?  Teacher's are humans too, you know :)

I think it depends on the context.  I often cry during stories that I'm reading aloud to my students.  I warn them - "ok, this chapter always makes me cry!" and then more often then not, only a few tears slip out and I do ok.  (I get really involved in books!)

Also, a school year has not yet passed without me crying on the last day of school.  This year, actually, one of my boys came in crying and pretty much cried all day, so of course, I cried, and most of my other students did too!

I have not cried because I was upset, angry, mad, frustrated, etc.  Those emotions do make me teary, but I control it enough to keep it in the proper place/time.  I have cried in conversation one on one with a student/small group of students who have done something that scares me and makes me worry for them.  Then, as in reading, it might only be a tear or two, but sometimes that is enough to have them realize how serious I am about their well-being.  

I think that as teachers we are role models whether we like it or not.  If I get hurt (which has happened once in front of my students) I do cry, and that's ok.  I'm not a blubbering mess, I'm just a human being.  It's ok to feel, to express emotions, and to move past them without letting them prohibit work/thought, etc.