What's In Your Tool Box?
Six keys to Connecting with the Disconnected Student
Teaching a child who has disconnected from learning can be very challenging. Students who are acting out, who close us out and push us away are the ones that need our help the most. How do we reach these students? We must always remember our Why and stay the course through the good and bad times. The fact is that we cannot teach a child if we are not able to connect with them. Therefore, we need to create an atmosphere of safety and concern. As schools, educators and a society we recognize the link between a positive school environment and good mental health; which has a positive impact on the outcome of our students. Dr. Ross W. Greene, a Clinical Child Psychologist, recommends six keys to connecting with disconnected students. These keys are designed to create connections, memories, moments, and positive school experiences.
Be Interested. Make time to listen. Take a moment to listen, when you take time to hear it shows concern. Once a student sees your concern it builds trust. When you have their trust students will let you into their world.
Start With Strengths. Theirs and yours. Look for both the character strengths and the strengths of skill and then tap into these with our students. The best way to connect with a child is through his/her strengths when we know the students’ strengths; we can tap into this and even place them in leadership roles to help bring out the best. Not only do we need to look for the strengths in our students but we also need to use the strengths of ourselves. There are few stronger connections you will make with kids than when you and the students are engaged in activities in an area of strength.
Celebrate and Build on Success. Many of our students who lack connection have gone through their school life on a “losing streak.” The thing about a losing streak is that it only takes one “win” to snap it. Acknowledge your student's success with positive feedback; a pat on the back, a fist bump or just a message saying thank you I appreciate the effort.
Be Interesting. Be relevant. Be engaging. Students find it is difficult to learn when they can't relate to the purpose. Telling kids they will “need this in the ‘real world'” doesn’t work. It has to relevant to right now and connected to their lives.
Create a Sense of Belonging. Include. Value. Belonging to and being part of a community is a need for ALL of us. Do all our kids feel they belong? Students need to feel accepted for who they are (regardless of ability, gender, sexual orientation, color, race, religion, income level, etc.). Inclusion is for all.
Lead with the heart. Teach with an ethic of care. Students may not always be listening, but they are always watching. How we teach becomes what we teach – we are always modeling what we believe through our words and actions, “Every Child Needs a Champion.” Why not you?
Wejr, C. (n.d.). Behavior. Retrieved from http://chriswejr.com/tag/behavior/
Book Of The Month
Grace loves all kind of stories, whether they were from movies, the kind her grandmother would tell or from a book. One day her teacher asked if anyone wanted to play the lead in Peter Pan. Grace excitedly raised her hand but Raj tells her that she is not a boy and Natalie tells her that she can’t because she is Black. Grace’s Nana sets things straight by informing Grace that she can be anything she sets her mind to be. Grace auditions for the part and she wins hands down. Proving that Grace is truly amazing!
Amazing Grace is Available in Springfield Public Schools Libraries.
