Relationships

 

A vibrant learning community is one where the importance of relationships is highlighted.  I believe that relationships have become the focus of teaching more and more since I have started teaching.  In my school, we have been working at identifying students who may not have a connection with any adults in the building and have tried to work on making sure we connect with those students.

Students may be exposed to many significant stressors in their lives such as food and housing insecurity, the recent pandemic and teachers also face stressors in their lives.  However, if teachers and students are connected to each other then learning in a positive environment can still happen.  Trust (2021, p.2) states that “Strong relationships with teachers and school staff can dramatically enhance student’s level of motivation and therefore promote learning”.

I have seen evidence of the importance of strong relationships in my job as a school counsellor.  When I have taken the time to develop a positive connection with a student, then we are better able to work together when there are challenges at school.  For example, I have a student who has struggled since beginning high school last school year.  I have worked hard to engaging with him beyond his struggles in learning about his interests and family.  Due to this, even when we are having difficult conversations he knows that I have his best interests at heart and has not become defensive.  He knows that he is never in trouble with me and that I am concerned about how he is doing when we are having a serious conversation. 

I believe these types of relationships contribute to a vibrant learning community because if students feel that the adults in the building like them and are there to guide them instead of chastising them they will be more willing to make changes that will better help them succeed. 

 

 

References

Trust, E. (2021, July 21). The Importance of Strong Relationships - A Strategy to Solve Unfinished Learning. The Education Trust. Retrieved January 13, 2023, from https://edtrust.org/resource/the-importance-of-strong-relationships/


Comments

  1. Tracy Romano16 January 2023 at 18:39

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts on how relationships impact vibrant learning spaces and I wholeheartedly agree that this is the fundamental basis for creating safety and security for students to be able to engage in learning. That once they feel that the adults in the building can be trusted they will feel at ease in the school and more open to the learning process. The article link you posted is great and what intrigued me was the last paragraph on what training do the adults in the building need to do to learn how to build trusting relationships. It got me thinking about my student teacher practicum and I honestly can't remember if that was covered. I do feel pretty lucky to work in a district though that has access to so much professional development which has many different ways teachers can access SEL lessons and pro d training. Thanks for your thoughts on this!

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