5 Ways to Build Positive Classroom Relationships
Classroom teachers know that you can have the perfect lesson planned in the most Pinterest-worthy classroom, but If your students do not care about you or your lesson, then little to no learning will happen.
Many educators, including myself, agree that the number one way to create a positive classroom atmosphere is to build positive relationships with students. Like Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs, which explained that, safety is the essential external factor influencing our happiness and success, building a positive classroom-teacher relationship is essential in ensuring that students and teachers, feel safe, respected, so that learning can truly place.
Just recently, my good friend and fellow educator, Subryna Graham and I sat down together to discuss the elements of building positive classroom relationships. Click to Listen to the full podcast on The Art of Positive Classroom Relationships. Subryna has spent several years refining her strategies for building great relationships with her students. She builds relationships through her lessons, which entail embedding moments of empathy and relationship-building throughout.
As we shared classroom moments both as teachers and as students, we were quickly able to narrow down the core components of building positive relationships with students. Here are 5 essential components:
1. Be Yourself-
Authenticity, Authenticity, Authenticity! Students cannot know who we are, if we do not know who we are. It’s important to embrace our own unique qualities and bring that to the classroom. Never pretend to be like the students or like someone you are not. Pretending adds even more work to a teacher’s plate and the students will see right through the facade.
2. Build Trust -
Say what you mean and mean what you say! Trust building in any relationship is foundational. It is a rare for people to learn from people they do not trust. We build trust through delivering on our promises to students and holding ourselves and our students to high expectations of honesty and integrity. Simple things like admitting when we are wrong can create a classroom environment where it is safe to make mistakes.
3. Notice the Little Things-
Acknowledge their existence. Often times, the most vocal students in the room soak up most of the attention and the quiet students go unnoticed. Taking time to acknowledge every student from the quietest to most dramatic ones, show students that we do see them and that we do care about their presence in the classroom.
4. Be Empathetic-
Connect on the human level- We don’t have to be the same race or gender to connect with the students we teach. Granted, relationship building does come easier when we have those similar qualities. However, understanding that we are all human, even before we label ourselves as black or female, etc. Understanding behavior, such as, when children act out, can help build a bridge of understanding between students and teachers. Before we label students as “disruptive” or “disengaged”, it’s important to understand the meaning behind behaviors and build a level of empathy for the unique circumstances that some of our children face everyday.
5.Be a Stable Figure in Student's Lives -
Just Be there!- Being a stable figure and creating a structured classroom environment gives students an opportunity to get to know you better. They also get a better understanding of your expectations for them. Life happens, but if we work hard at creating stability in the lives of our students and constantly show them that we have their best interests at heart, it is almost a guarantee that our students will have our back, especially on our most difficult days.
Gabriela Timothy is a Certified Special Education Teacher with a dual master’s degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. She anticipates her Doctoral degree in 2022 with concentrations on Universal Design Learning, Blended Learning and Special Education. She has over 8 years of experience as an educator, classroom teacher, school administrator, learning specialist and consultant.Her mission is to empower diverse communities of educators, parents and students in this growing educational landscape.