As Timothy Shriver and Jennifer Buffet had said, ‘The core of education is the relationship between the teacher and the student, and the extent to which that relationship nurtures the longing of the child to matter in the world, and the longing of the teacher to nurture and fulfil that desire.'
The meta-analysis of John Hattie, ‘Visible Learning,' pinpointed the student-teacher relationship as one of the most influential factors on how students perform. He synthesized over 8000 meta-analyses, which certainly comes to show us that the results are valid.
Being a teacher means much more than merely instructing students with the material you must cover throughout the school year. If you want to leave a lasting impact on the future of the kids you have in class, you'd need to work on building teacher-student relationships. This is a must if you want to have good communication and help children become successful not only in the classroom but in life, in general. How to do so, though? Let's check out.
1. How to Build the Student-Teacher Connection?
To encourage a healthy and long-lasting teacher and students' relationship, you'd need to have a good attitude towards the kids. You need to be reachable, that's there for them, someone who won't yell at them if they make a mistake. Classrooms are places where kids are allowed to make mistakes so that they can learn. If you have a negative attitude towards such occurrences, you'd only alienate them.
Should you wish to ensure a high-quality, healthy relationship between teachers and students, you'd have to accept and acknowledge that kids won't and cannot be perfect and that's okay. You are one of the people who are modeling how to be a good human being, and part of that is making mistakes. So, don't expect the world of them, but help them learn and grow from any error they make.
Also, don't be all negative and stern. Don't tell them they need to stay silent and only listen. Remember, kids learn through play through interaction. Teacher-student interaction through games, conversations, and even jokes is a way to ensure your students will not only respect you but also like you and be more willing to learn from you. The better you understand that children cannot be perfectly still and silent all the time and that they need much more interaction than adults, the more quality relationships will you be able to build with them.
Make sure they know they can come to you with their problems without you judging them. It's easy for us to judge children for their mistakes, to think little of what concerns them, and to neglect their inconveniences for they seem minor to us. But we need to remember that we have walked that path before. So, take the time to listen without judgment. Ensure you work with them to solve problems rather than simply scolding them for whatever the issue is. Try to instill abilities for finding solutions, making rational decisions, and critical thinking.
Some places, such as essay writer websites, provide children with lots of help for their needs. Such sites ensure children will have a bigger security blanket to fall towards when they are feeling overwhelmed. Try to be there for them in such instances, too. Whether they've forgotten their homework or haven't studied well for the test, make sure they understand that it's okay. It's normal to not be up to the highest standards all the time. Sometimes they'd just have too much and if they are afraid that you'd scold them for that, they'd not only be scared to come to you when in need but will also create a worse opinion for themselves.
Having a good relationship with teachers means that kids will have someone to talk to, even if they don't have such a safe space at home. Sometimes, teachers might be the ones children turn to when they have nobody else to help them. There are kids with tough home situations. Others are afraid to talk to their parents and need a helping hand in the classroom.
2. Be an Inspiration
As one can see in college essay writing service, inspiration is a key to lots of the stuff that happens in the real world. Yes, children might be in the safe place of the classroom, but they'd go out there in just a few years. If they have the inspiration to try and become a great person, they'd work towards that goal even from a young age. Model a good figure for them to look up to. Be polite, don't yell, try to maintain a good rapport with them, and help them out when needed. Sometimes, even a few simple words of encouragement may mean the world to the children. Be sure to provide such and offer inspiration and spirit lift when necessary.
3. Try to Incorporate More Interactive Learning
Another greatly helpful way to ensure great teacher and student relationships is through interactive learning. Merely instructing or reciting the material will mean nothing to most of the kids. Especially if they are younger, they'd learn much better through games. Of course, we don't say that you need to play games rather than learn. But try to incorporate more game-like activities, quizzes (without grading), competitions, conversations, open-ended questions, etc.
All of this serves to make learning funnier. What is the point of that, you might ask. Well, it's to make sure children are paying attention and that they can try and work problems and information on their own before you supply the answer to them. Through the hands-on experience, they'd be able to remember the material more quickly and will have a much better recall.
4. Other Tips and Strategies
- Greet students when they come into the classroom;
- Call home for good behavior;
- Believe in their success;
- Get to know them;
- Laugh with them;
- Give them choices;
Conclusion
If you wish to be the teacher to whom children can go with their problems and who'll be a role model for their students, try to implement a better teacher-student relationship. Some of the things we offered above are a great way to do so, yet there are other tips and tricks we didn't have the space to cover. Remember, each child is unique, and building a relationship with your students might be different for every situation. Some require more attention, others - more freedom, etc. So, make wise choices on how to connect better to the children on a case-by-case basis, guided by the general advice we gave above. That can help you aid the children on the path towards becoming not only successful citizens but also good and healthy people.
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