Easy Ways to Connect With Your Students

All the things that educators are responsible for, goes far beyond common core and teaching standards. The pressures of getting test scores up, MAP testing, closing achievement gaps, and meeting state standards can feel like a monstrous task. As initiatives get added, our plates become more full. How do we find time to connect with students, increase performance, and have work-life balance?

• Share your story with students. Even though you are the authority and the professional, letting your students know that you still have growth (personally and professionally) is essential. Showing some vulnerability will help students understand that even adults still have areas of improvement. Share your stories when it's appropriate, timely, brief, and relevant.
  

• Attend extracurricular activities. When a student sees their teacher at an event outside of the traditional classroom; it lets them know that you care about them beyond their academics.
  

• Encourage classroom discussion where student interests are the focus. Take the first five minutes to have a discussion or check-in with students to see what's on their minds. Use classroom norms to establish respect and civility with your classroom. Students may also share more about themselves that may give you insight into their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
  

• Give assignments that allow students to share their experiences and interests. When work reflects student experiences/interests; they become personal and relevant - with the hope of increasing engagement.
  

• Interview your students. We can spend a great deal of time talking about students with colleagues and other support staff. How much time do we spend talking with them? Taking the time to interview a student (3-5 minutes) can give you a better understanding of the student's background, experiences, and likes/dislikes.

• Visit a site in your student's community. Spending time in a student's community allows you more of an opportunity of gaining a better understanding of what may be going on with them outside of school. Those experiences may also give you the chance to empathize what's happening with your students.
  

We do all of these things to build relationships, but we also want students to take some ownership of their learning. When it comes time to push that student academically, we can use that strong relationship to leverage the academic expectation we have for them.

“Five Easy Ways to Connect with Students.” Harvard Graduate School of Education, hepg.org/hel-home/issues/27_1/helarticle/five-easy-ways-to-connect-with-students_492.

“The Power of Sharing Your Story With Students.” Edutopia, www.edutopia.org/article/power-sharing-your-story-students.