One of the educator's most important roles is to develop positive relationships with your students. According to John Hattie, "It is teachers who have created positive teacher-student relationships that are more likely to have the above-average effects on student achievement" (Productive Teacher Student Relationships Affect Students' Results 2019). Reviewing Hattie's research on effect size influenceing student achievement, the majority upper effectiveness strategies are based on student-teacher relationships. This is one of the most difficult and time consuming tasks of a teachers time in the classroom but argualby one of the most important. In my twenty years in the classroom I have lived by the montra of students don't care what you know, until they know that you care. The best teachers I had as a student, worked with as a collegue and now have had a chance to evaluate as an adminsitrator are masters at this very key principle. However, it must be intentional and worked at every day. Teachers must plan for moments to work on the social and emotional development in their classrooms as a whole and individually for each student. This again comes in the planning stages of a lesson. Intentionally putting in time for ever important conversations that gleen information about where a student is at each emotionally, each day and how that may affect their learning. Students succeed in classrooms that thrive on mutual respect where they are free to risk boldly and remain engaged in the lessons. Humans most basic need is to feel safe and that is no different for our students. Students need to feel the safety and structure within their classroom to achieve learning, mastery and academic success.

 

Creating this enviornment can come in a variety of ways. I like to establish class "Norms" at the beginning of each school year or semester. With the different makeup and backgrounds of each class these may look different from one period to the next but the students get instant buy-in when they take part in setting up classroom expectations and agreements. This isn't a free for all by any means. I tend to group students in smaller groups with an envelope with ten to twelve general classroom expectations that I have. Within the groups they break these expectations into half of what they feel are the most important for success. They then join with another group combine their most important class expectations  for a successful classroom cut them in half and the process repeats until the entire class has eight to ten classroom rules that can be agreeable to everyone. A poster is made with those expectations and signed by all. 

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Another strategy I have used for years is to have students do a self portrait of who they are and the type of learner they are. This is usually done early in a class and shared only with me and the student. This simple brief exercise has paid dividends throughout my career working with students. It gives you a quick peek into who they are and how they prefer to be taught. There are many ways this can be done. A self inventory on a google form, a creative page at the front of their interactive notebook, or other means of an expressive assignment to kick off the year. I like to have students do a "me bag" activity in which they bring in representations of what is important in their lives regarding family, school, what makes them unique and how they learn the best.

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Finally the old proven method of a warm conversation and showing empathy to the students. We are in a far different time then when I grew up with two hard working parents that cared for me, set expectations for me and demanded me to always do my best. Many of our students today are being raised in non-traditional homes and have many pressures to do life and more distinctly growing up on their own. Having these conversations and getting to know your students is key. When students are raising themselves, working to provide basic needs for families, and dealing with the tremendous pressure they are under sometimes that ten page paper isn't the most important thing on their to-do list.