Classroom connections essential for helping students shine

How teachers and students can build a good relationship

Students should feel comfortable with talking and expressing how they feel in their classes. They should have that one teacher that they feel comfortable with talking to and suggest them over other teachers. Teachers need to create an environment where all students are welcome. Associate Principal Rafael Benitez said, “Getting to know each student, so what I have seen to be successful in the past is using some type of interest worm to see what the kids are interested in.” 

Teachers can open up to the students and talk about their families. They don’t have to go deep with it but enough to make some type of similarity with the students. Teachers should know what’s happening outside of school like social media and things inside of the building to be aware because one of their students could be involved with something and having a hard day. Another reason is to help students through our bad days like what special needs teacher Kara Bearbower said, “Working with a range of students, helping students know that each day is a new day and as their teacher we will start fresh each day. We’re human; we make mistakes, but each day we can start new because mistakes don’t define who we are.” 

Counting with what she said, teachers and students need to know that what we do is not always bad. Everybody will do something, but if the teacher or students actively look for the good things students did, then they’re going to think better of that person. 

Going on with it, we always need a fresh start or even just to sit down and understand where students and teachers are coming from.When starting a new year or semester, we should all go in with a good attitude and forget what happened in the past. Senior Kaleah Dejong said, “At first I know some teachers can be, you know, have their boundaries and have their wall up, but if you continue  to be a positive, kind person, you can get very close to them and personal, I mean like personal enough.” 

If we all come with an open mind, then we should not have to be worried about things and just be comfortable with the environment. Senior Kara Cantrall said, “I think that communication is the most important. When teachers have gone out of their way to ask me about my day or have noticed I’m not in a good mood and have talked to me, it’s always made the biggest impact. My favorite and most memorable teachers are those who have treated me as a person and not just as someone they’re teaching.” 

Even though we as students sometimes need to know someone cares about our feelings or even just communicates with us could change our whole day around just by the little questions. Sometimes teachers need to know that we as students have to be in other classes to graduate and then understand that these other classes are just as important as their class. 

Overall, teachers and students sometimes just need a little laugh or even smile. Teachers and students need to know we are not the same, like what SHILE adviser Shinita Crawley said. “I think it starts with the teachers understanding and acknowledging different cultures and how to interact with those who are not like them. We don’t need teachers to relate but to acknowledge, understand and not judge. Also, teachers need to stop taking everything so personally. Students are still children, not adults, no matter how mature we think they are.” 

Altogether, we are all different and have our own opinions on things. For the teacher, to understand where we all come from, it is important to us for them to listen or understand. All teachers and students should feel comfortable, and seek to understand and help in the littest way possible in everything.