Teacher Presence: Essential for Learning or Just a Buzzword?

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Originally published in TEACH Magazine, September/October 2018 Issue

By Dr. Craig L. Bouvier

Some teachers clearly have it, and others do not. Those that have it, seem to come by it naturally, and those that don’t, seem to struggle to get it.

Rachel Kessler, in her book, The Soul of Education, suggests that “it” is at least as important as the ability to teach; she writes, “Who we are and the environment we create in class are at least as important as the teaching skills we possess.” Kessler was referencing teacher presence and its importance to teaching. I would suggest that it is even more important than most realize, and here’s why.

When you have a teacher who has presence, students are impacted in ways that positively affect the class; when you have a group of teachers who have presence, students are impacted in ways that positively affect the school. What, then, is teacher presence?

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Dr. Craig L. Bouvier is currently the Head of School at Shannon Forest Christian School in Greenville, SC.

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Dr. Craig L. Bouvier
Dr. Craig L. Bouvier
Dr. Craig L. Bouvier is currently the Head of School at Shannon Forest Christian School in Greenville, SC.

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