Building Relationships in the Classroom

Cicely Woodard is a junior high teacher who understands the power of relationships.  She has found that investing time early and often to learn about students—by making small changes in our classroom—creates an environment where they are motivated to be successful.  Check out her 6 classroom tips:

1. Learn names quickly and correctly. Too often, students, especially those who are marginalized, feel invisible in our schools. Value student diversity and identity by learning names quickly and pronouncing them correctly. Only use nicknames if students prefer them; never create a nickname for a student, because this strips him or her of the identity that is embedded in a name. I greet each of my students at the door by name before class. 

2. Students are never too old for show-and-tell. Help students feel they’re more than just another student by allowing them to bring in something that represents them, their culture, or some activity that they enjoy doing at the beginning of the year. Plan five to 10 minutes each day for a few students to share what they brought until you have given everyone in the class the opportunity. In my classes, students have brought in baby pictures of themselves, goggles that they use for their competitive swim team, and souvenirs from a family vacation.

3. Post student pictures and student work. Elementary teachers are very good at sharing student work, but middle and high school teachers often neglect this important practice, feeling that it’s unnecessary for older students. I’ve found older students still need to be reminded that you value their work. When my students participate in the show-and-tell, for example, I snap a picture of them. Those pictures are then printed and posted on a bulletin board in class that stays up all year long. The students love seeing how they have changed over the course of the year because they realize that their growth and development is not only physical, but intellectual and emotional as well. In addition, students are so proud when their exemplary work, such as individual math projects and group work on math tasks, is displayed and celebrated. 

4. Assign seats, and change them often. We all know that middle school students don’t always get along, but when students have opportunities to work together, they learn about each other and discover ways to work together even though they’re different. I have my students sit at tables in my middle school math classroom. I assign them to tables of three or four students each; then they change seats once per week using an online random seat changer that is embedded in our attendance management system. After each change, the students answer a quick question, such as, “Who would you love to have dinner with and why?” to get to know the people at their table before spending a week collaborating with them on mathematical tasks.

5. Find small ways to connect. In my first-period class, we often have circle time on Monday mornings or after a break. We stand in a circle and pass a ball around. The person with the ball shares a compliment about another person in the circle, what they did over the weekend or the break, or how they are feeling in the moment and why. Once a student participated in goat yoga for a friend’s birthday over the weekend. We were all intrigued by her pictures of goats walking on their backs during yoga class! If I forget circle time on Mondays, my students always remind me. They also always insist that I share too. Though it can seem like every minute is needed to get through the academic content, I’ve learned that a five-minute investment once a week to learn about each other is invaluable to my students and builds a better culture in my classroom.

6. Simply listen. As teachers, we often feel like we need to keep a professional distance from our students, but I’ve found that taking time to make small talk can help break down barriers to learning. Because I’ve made myself approachable, some of my students will tell me stories about their lives during the five minutes between classes. I stop what I am doing, look them in the eyes, and listen. I love seeing their eyes light up as they tell me these stories, and these encounters always leave me a little more knowledgeable about who they are as people.

 - Article from Edutopia/ Written by Cicely Woodard

Important Information: 

Student Learning Objective (SLO) Due Dates:  SLOs are due in the SFS system for this school year by Friday, September 13th!  For anyone that may need some extra help, we will have a work session Friday morning at 7:20 a.m. in the high school library and Tuesday, September 10th at 3:10 p.m. in high school library.  We will review this process during our Virtual Day.   It may be helpful to post your SLOs somewhere in your room where you can see them - they are easy to forget about, but very important for your evaluation!

ALICE Training - Levi Clark will be training all of our students, grades 7-12, in ALICE training on Tuesday, September 10th.  We will offer two 30 minute sessions.  A schedule will be out soon!  

Junior High Commodore Pride - Our Junior High Commodore Pride "Houses" are in full swing!  This is the system we are using to teach our Social/Emotional Learning curriculum for junior high students.  Starting this month, you may hear about some surprise and delights - along with some exciting competitions!  Thank you to all of our teachers and assistants who are helping with this important work!

Free Breakfast - The Army will be providing donuts on Tuesday, September 10th in the high school office!  It is a great way to learn about their programs and satisfy your sweet tooth!  They appreciate all you do for your students!

Important Dates: 

SLO Help Sessions - Friday, September 6th @ 7:20 a.m./ Tuesday, September 10th @ 3:10 p.m.

ALICE Training for Students - September 10th

SLO Due Date:  September 13th