Giving Compass' Take:

· The relationship students have with their teachers and school plays a large part in academic success. Chrissy Romano-Arrabito emphasizes the importance of student-teacher relationships and provides a few ways educators can prepare for the upcoming school year.

· What type of support do teacher provide for students? What are some ways teachers can effectively bond with new students?

· Read more about teacher-student connections and relational teaching.

Summer is the time for many educators to reboot, relax, and re-energize for the upcoming school year. We do this in different ways. Some attend conferences, participate in webinars, or read up on educational trends to learn and grow before putting their newly-acquired knowledge into practice in September.

Here are some great ways to start off the school year and build real connections:

  1. Teachers are human, too: Show off your flexibility, humor, and the ability to try new things, fail, and laugh when things don’t work out. Don’t take yourself too seriously!
  2. Share your “out-of-school” life: You as the teacher should do whatever task or assignment you ask of your students and make sure you share it with them! Talk to them about your hobbies, your pets and your favorite food and don’t forget to ask them about their lives. You have more in common with your students than you may think.
  3. Use Social Media: Maximize the social aspects of social channels. Share what you post on social media and what you blog about to build rapport and look for common interests.
  4. Rapid Fire Intros: Using Collaborative Google Slides, assign each student a slide and have them use it to create a representation of themselves. When everyone has completed a slide set it to auto-advance and give each student 15-30 seconds to introduce themselves.
  5. Classroom Circles: Borrowed from the Restorative Justice movement students sit in a circle facing each other to facilitate direct communication and open dialogue. Circles can be used at any point of the school day and for any reason. The idea is to create a safe space where students are comfortable discussing and sharing.

No matter what methods you choose take the time to get to know your students—to talk with them, listen to them, and find ways to connect with them. I promise the time and effort you put into building relationships with your students will be worth its weight in gold.

Read the full article about teacher-student connections by Chrissy Romano-Arrabito at EdSurge.