RELATIONSHIPS MATTER

For the past four years, I have served as a math instructional coach to middle and high school math teachers.  I have said it every year and I am sticking to it: You must build a relationship with your students.  Your students need to know that you care about them and that they can trust you.  So much focus in education is placed on raising test scores, increasing student engagement and implementing quality instructional practices.  There are tons of programs, lists of strategies, and books that say how to do this but I still believe that the root of it all lies in the relationship a teacher has with their students.

When you, the teacher, relate to your students and they begin to genuinely care about you beyond simply having respect for you, they want to make you look good.  So if that means, for students, putting forth a little more effort in class, being just a little more attentive when you are speaking, trying a little harder on that test, they will do it.  When they reach that point of caring, they will understand that what you do is reflected through how they academically perform and when they measure up, you shine.

Teachers have often asked me how to build a relationship with students.  Here are a few things you may consider trying:

1.  Talk to students outside of the classroom.

I have worked in several schools and it still amazes me how some teachers stand at the door only to wait for the bell to ring before they close the door signaling to those who are tardy to report to the tardy center.  For those teachers who actually greet their students as they walk in and even greet those students who pass their classroom on the way to the next, job well done.  As a classroom teacher, I spent time during passing periods, lunch, and at my duty station speaking to students.  I would ask something as simple as “how is your day going today?”  You’d be surprised how that one question gets students to talking.  You sometimes end up finding out more than what you expected for a response, but for those students, you provided an outlet for them to clear their minds and hearts.  In some cases, it makes for a better day.  It also sends a message to them that you are relatable beyond your strict rules and demands in the classroom.

2.  Attend school activities.

If you have students who participate in activities, go and show your support.  I have worked in a few schools where the parent involvement was low but for just cause.  The recent economical changes have affected families.  More parents are working multiple jobs just to support their households and this often pulls them away from evening time with their children.  When you attend a band performance, theatre production, or speech debate, you provide a familiar face and fill the void of their parents’ absence.

3.  Allow for students to showcase their work through a medium that interests them.

When your curriculum lends itself to it, assign projects that will allow students to present their material in a diversity of ways.  This can be done through music, art, poetry etc.  It will require some creativity to design a rubric for grading and even more creativity for students to come up with an assignment that meets the requirements.  However, it sends a message to students that you are flexible which makes you relatable and allows for students to use a medium they like for a subject that may or may not be their favorite.

There are different things that you can try to build a stronger relationship with your students.  Please do not limit yourself to just this short list.  As you go into the spring semester, communicate to your students that it is a time to start over.  My challenge to you is to work on building an appropriate stronger relationship with your students which will increase their overall academic success.

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Sharri C. Zachary earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education from Grambling State University and Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas.  She was a high school math teacher for five years before becoming a math facilitator in a TX public school district where she served in that capacity for four years.  She is now a Project Coordinator with Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.

For secondary students needing help in Math, please visit www.texaswebtutor.com. Texas Web Tutor is THE online math STAAR/TAKS preparation program for grades 6-12.  Built from the TEKS and designed specifically and exclusively for Texas, it interacts individually with each student and provides tools for educators to track and profile the progress of their students.