EDUCATOR SPOTLIGHT | IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!
Credit | www.gettingsmart.comRelationships, Connection, and Agency: It's Never Too Late!
by Stephanie Clagnaz, Ed.D.
High school teacher Timothy Hilton believes that, “building relationships with students is by far the most important thing a teacher can do. Without solid relationships built on trust and respect, no quality learning will happen.” Although we are approaching the end of the school year, it’s not too late to deepen our relationships with students. A starting point is to show students our authentic selves. Let them see us as human beings with likes and dislikes; adults who laugh and enjoy our classrooms; individuals who can express feelings with respect and concern. The end of the year provides us with different opportunities to develop relationships and connections with students. At the beginning of the year, we sometimes strive to establish authority, letting the students know ‘who is in charge’. At this point in the year, however, we are more able to let our guard down and show students who we really are: things we enjoy, people we admire, and hobbies that make us happy.
Building solid relationships and making connections with our students has implications for their sense of belonging to schools and for their academic success. In fact, many teachers believe that without trustworthy connections, academic success may flounder. Further, while we constantly strive to support students’ academic success, meaningful relationships with them may also have an impact on their lives away from school. One way of establishing these connections is to see the world through the eyes of our students. What is life truly like for them? Is their family struggling? Are there hardships that students are experiencing that impact their school lives? Are cultural or language barriers preventing our students from feeling a true sense of belonging to school? If so, how can we empathize with their needs? How can we help?
Consider communicating your confidence in students, particularly those who demonstrate behaviors that indicate that they are disconnected from school. Remember that there are students who are experiencing trauma and stress in different parts of their lives. These students need the most reassurance: tell them that you believe in them; that you admire their efforts and that you are convinced that they will be successful. Converse with students about your likes and dislikes and invite them to share their experiences with you. These are simple and easy ways to establish relationships. The end of the year also gives us the opportunity to include student voice in our curricular choices. Increase student agency by involving students in developing their preferred ways of learning. Ask students to contribute to unit design. While addressing remaining untaught learning standards, how can the learning process be developed to incorporate students' preferred ways of learning and to give students choices in demonstrating what they have learned?
End-year planning for increased student agency involves asking student questions like, Which of these ideas is important for you to explore? Would you prefer working with a partner or doing independent research? Is it better for you to show what you’ve learned by creating a slide deck or writing an essay? Incorporating student voice as we make curriculum decisions and providing students with choices in learning modalities as well as creating options for them to demonstrate their learning are ways to increase student agency. “Giving students options on what processes (how students approach their learning) and products (the evidence students use to demonstrate their learning) they will use to demonstrate learning is a powerful way to foster ownership and decision-making. It gives students opportunities to operate beyond the prescription so often defined by the schooling process. Allowing students to make a choice about how they will demonstrate knowledge and understanding signals a degree of trust in the student's knowledge of their content and their ability to make wise choices regarding how they want to show their knowledge.” (Tanji Reed Marshall, ASCD, 2022).
At LEDbetter, we encourage you to end your school year strong by beginning or increasing your relationships with students. One of our core beliefs is that by increasing student agency, students’ experience of school will become more rewarding and has the potential to be life changing. Do you need support in the areas of educator-student relationships, improving students’ connection to school, or expanding student agency? LED better is here to help. We will address your unique needs to help you end the school year strong. Contact us today to make an appointment to discuss your needs and how we can help.
To learn more about how we can support you, please email excelerator@led-better.org, or schedule a call with us.
Additional Resources & Links:
Building Authentic Relationships With Students
'Building Relationships With Students Is the Most Important Thing a Teacher Can Do' (Opinion)
Building positive relationships with students: What brain science says
Improving students' relationships with teachers
The Importance of Strong and Healthy Relationships | Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Why Strong Teacher Student Relationships Matter - Waterford.org
Benefits of Relationship Building With Students
The Power of Relationships in Schools | Psychology Today
5 Ways to Promote Student Agency in the Elementary Classroom
The Promise, Power, and Practice of Student Agency
How to Give Students More Agency in Class Without Losing Control
