Giving Compass' Take:

• Tara Brown, writing for Getting Smart, outlines the ways that educators can foster better teacher-student relationships through listening strategies and validating students' strengths. 

• How can educators pass on lessons in strengthening these types of relationships? 

• Read more about how student relationships are vital for growth. 

We are hard-wired to connect. Through connections, humans thrive and get their emotional needs met. When a child feels seen, heard, validated and respected, their desire to engage and willingness to take on risk during the learning process increases dramatically.

Research is clear that you cannot get to Bloom’s without going through Maslow. Educators who trust this research understand the importance of providing emotional deposits to kids and creating an environment of emotional safety. Putting kids before content is the first step to making major strides toward building positive connections.

Connecting with kids takes on many forms but all can have a huge impact on a child’s feeling of emotional safety, level of engagement and, ultimately, academic achievement.

  • Use Their Names― Learning and using kids’ names as quickly as possible sends a clear message that each student is more than a body at a desk.
  • Make Emotional Deposits―These can take on many forms, from compliments, smiles, and high fives to attending students’ extracurricular activities, writing personal notes, or simply making time for meaningful conversations.
  • Be a Great CEO: Chief Emotional Officer―The mood and climate of the room starts with the teacher.
  • Embrace a Strengths-Based Approach―Get to know kids and their strengths and interests. The more teachers know about their students, the more tools they have at their disposal to connect with each one individually and to emphasize students’ strengths.

For some teachers―and some people, in general―connecting doesn’t come naturally. Helping those that struggle with building positive relationships with kids is imperative to ensure that all students can spend their days in a supportive, nurturing learning environment. Once we have developed our own capacity for forming connections with students, supporting our colleagues is the next step toward having an even greater impact.

Read the full article about teacher-student connections by Tara Brown at Getting Smart