By Armando Martinez
Maintaining healthy student relationships with teachers has significant, positive and long-lasting implications for both students’ academic and social development. Those students who have close, positive and supportive relationships with their teachers will obtain higher levels of achievement, according to the American Psychology Association (APA).
Students want to feel valued by people who are important to them. When they feel that their teachers value and care for them as individuals, students are more willing to comply with their expectations.
According to the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) ways for teachers to develop better relationships with their students is by:
• Showing an interest in your students’ personal lives
• Sincerely listening to students
• Empathizing with students
Teachers shouldn’t be too quick to give up on students, instead, they should try to motivate them to become better. Making an effort to get to know more about the student, which will lead to a connection with them. Students will notice this interaction and will open up to teachers. APA states that by creating a positive climate in the classroom teachers are able to both focus on “not only on improving your relationships with your students but also on enhancing the relationships among your students.”
Positive teacher-student relationships will draw students into the process of learning and promote their desire to learn.
Sources: http://www.apa.org/education/k12/relationships.aspx
