麻豆传媒入口

My ninth graders write聽about failing math tests, getting cut from the soccer team, and auditioning for the lead in the musical only to be cast in the ensemble. They write about feeling insecure about their weight, the width of their nose, and the birthmark on their face. And they attend classes with an array of teachers who have differing notions of where they should sit, how often they should study, and what grade they deserve.

There鈥檚 a chance for teachers to bridge the divide between聽the adults who seem to have all the answers and the students who are still figuring things out. When my students feel like they know me, they鈥檙e more actively engaged, seek my help outside of class, and are more receptive to my suggestions and ideas.

that a 鈥減ositive, caring, respectful climate in the classroom is a prior condition to learning.鈥� So how can we reveal even a little bit of ourselves, in order to create this climate and聽make a connection with our students?

Show Vulnerability

My students know that I cried a lot in elementary school, so my primary goal when I entered middle school was to not cry at school. They know that now, as a teacher, I find it excruciatingly painful to hear my lesson plan critiqued by my supervisor, with the commentary that perhaps it doesn鈥檛 make quite as much sense as I originally thought. And when I showed students my model book-talk video, I asked if they also heard a bit of lisp, and didn鈥檛 it look like I have a lazy eye? They laughed, and assured me that neither was true.

Acknowledge Imperfections

My students know that in some areas I actually do have all the answers. I know the answers to all of our tests, I can crush a literary essay, and I can recite several poems from memory (which never ceases to impress).

But they also know that I don鈥檛 know the difference between sine and cosine or a polar and a conic, and I鈥檓 not sure which ions are positively charged鈥攐r why that even matters. They know my sixth grader watched 13 Reasons Why on Netflix before I realized the 13 reasons why I probably shouldn鈥檛 have let her. And they also know that I was always the last kid chosen for a team in PE, so if they toss me a dry erase marker it鈥檚 unlikely that I鈥檒l catch it.

Share Your Stories

I sprinkle stories throughout my classes about my older son鈥檚 college applications, my younger son鈥檚 football team, and how my daughter and I sing Britney Spears songs in the car. My students know that I don鈥檛 like to cook, and that Atticus Finch is my fictional husband.

My stories are brief, but they offer insight into who I am as a person and a glimpse into my life outside of school. On the last day of school, when we played 鈥渢wo truths and one lie,鈥� my students knew immediately when I was lying. I asked, 鈥淗ow is that possible?鈥� One student quickly responded, 鈥淏ecause we know you!鈥�

Why This Is Essential

鈥淪tudies on thousands of students show that learners who are better socially connected to their teachers and classmates are significantly more engaged and achieve better than their less well-connected peers,鈥� , an associate professor of education. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, acknowledge our imperfections, and tell our stories, we show our students that we are, in fact, more like them than they may imagine.

As we let ourselves be known, our students will likewise reveal themselves, and thus our connection grows. These relationships are built gradually through a mutual exchange of ideas, questions, and stories about our lives.

We can seek to know our students through ice-breakers in September, by greeting them when they arrive to class, and by asking them questions when we notice their varsity jacket or their name on a field trip list. And when a student shows up on crutches, of course聽our conversations begin with 鈥淲hat happened?鈥� and 鈥淗ow long?鈥� These personal exchanges often spark deeper conversations, embolden students to ask more probing questions in class, and increase overall participation.

And these interactions build trust, which better enables me to give students critical feedback鈥攖o tell them the truth even when it鈥檚 not easy to hear. My students listen to me because I listen to them. They don鈥檛 know me just as their teacher鈥攖hey know me as a person.

In a faculty softball game, I am my struggling readers. When calculating grades, I am my reluctant writers. In so many ways, I am them and they are me. If we can meet them where they are, we can assure them that they鈥檙e not alone as we cultivate relationships that foster deep and meaningful learning.