Relationships among teachers and students are important in the overall classroom dynamic and management. When there is an atmosphere of positivity and caring, students strive to contribute and show an invested interest within the classroom. Students want to do well for a teacher that they admire and respect. Positive teachers foster a positive learning environment. A teacher is responsible for teaching and mentoring students as well as providing opportunities for these students to feel success and to gain understanding. Interactions within this environment are long remembered as students are determining who they are and how they fit into the larger group. If a student has a bad school experience, then this will carry over in their behavior and will impact how this student feels and acts toward others. Not everyone has a great day all the time, but fostering an environment of connection, caring, and discipline will have a positive impact and create an effective teacher-student relationship that encourages mutual respect and facilitates teaching and learning in a well-managed setting.
Three useful resources:
1. Video: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teacher-student-relationship
This video happens to be on a “Teaching Channel Website” that has video, question and answer blogs, and links to other relevant information. I particularly like how this teacher is passionate about his job, his classroom, his content, reaching his students. He makes a great point about bad behavior in the classroom – when he observes this negative behavior he looks at himself to find a different way to change the environment. He used his own experience as a student as an example – he would personally act out when he was bored or not challenged. He does not focus on the negative, but about how he can change the situation and redirect If there is negative behavior, he believes he is doing something wrong. He also concentrates on the good in a student and when a student realizes that you care – the negative behavior disappears. This video and link is useful to obtain relevant information with regard to teaching practices. Professional teachers give real classroom experiences and advice.
2. Larry Ferlazzo’s blog https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2011/03/08/the-best-resources-on-the-importance-of-building-positive-relationships-with-students/ gives a wealth of resources with regard to teacher-student relationships as well as other topics. His website and blog provides a venue for connection to the current literature on the subject and also provides an environment where one is able to participate by asking questions or making comments. The information found here is relevant and current. It is important for aspiring teachers to constantly look for ways to continue to professionally develop. Staying connected to other professionals within the teaching career field provides a great opportunity to consider ideas and continue the discussion on best practices.
3. The American Psychological Association website https://www.apa.org/education/k12/relationships.aspx is also a valuable resource. This website has information with regard to student-teacher relationships, but also has many tabs that are linked to education and psychology. Psychological science is the study of mind and behavior and is directly related to the interactions that occur in the classroom daily. Having an understanding of what/why a person behaves a certain way can only shed light on how to deal with this diversity in the classroom.
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