Opening up to students is very important for teachers. While it is obviously not appropriate for a teacher to confide intimate personal details to the class, or gossip about others to try to be more accepted, there are ways that a teacher can seem more 'real' to the students. For example, crying over something very sad or letting the students know when the teacher is getting angry with their misbehavior goes a long way toward having younger students see teachers as real people. These same kinds of things - made age-appropriate of course - can work well for adult learners, as well.

Many individuals who are a bit older also have trouble connecting with their instructors, because they are uncertain about what is wanted from them, and they may have trouble learning everything that they need to know in the way that it is presented to them. The way that...
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