Creating Opportunities to Strengthen Connections With Students

Connecting with students is, obviously, an important part of teaching.  In addition, having an idea of the mindset their in as they’re supposed to learn can give a better sense as to why they may be struggling.

Enter Jacqueline Prester.

She shared about her “Daily Bell Ringer” which encourages students to share when they enter her class.  I viewed the post on her website and modified her templates.

Even though I’ve only been using it with my students for only a week and a half, I’m already seeing a great benefit which has reinforced my choice to introduce it.

Their comments have given me more insight into what’s going on in their lives. I’ve been able to connect with students about sports, hobbies, and even funny dreams in ways that I wouldn’t have been able to do before.  Students have also shared about struggles weighing on them: illness in their family, not looking forward to Thanksgiving, being nervous about a test that day, and others. Knowing about these things gives me a different lens to view the student as they are in the classroom.  I can more easily identify if those students are off, probably due to the baggage they bring into the classroom.

This check-in at the start of class gives me clarity as to who I should touch base with. As I’m noticing patterns about their sleep and eating habits, I’ve been encouraged to engage in conversations with students to see how I can better meet their needs. 

Some students have even taken the opportunity to ask how I am doing or about my interests and time outside of school.

Clearly, this tool has great benefits and has already proven to be a powerful way to strengthen relationships with students.

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If you have creative ways to connect with students or, if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share in the comments. I would appreciate hearing from you.

Bringing My Learning Into Class

As a teacher, summer can rejuvenate and provide opportunities to hone my craft. I also like to take the time to learn and try new things.

This summer I dabbled in music.  Toward the end of last school year, I took several lessons to learn a bit about playing the ukulele.  Over the course of the summer, I committed myself to practice. I have picked up the ukulele for at least 30 minutes nearly every day.  Naturally, I have improved - though not so much that I’m comfortable sharing those skills here.

I will, however, speak with my students about my learning, my practice, and my improvement. Maybe, if I build up my nerve, I’ll play for them. 😮

Another learning adventure involved prop making.  For absolutely no reason, I became intrigued with prop making techniques I bumped into on YouTube.  Using Odin Abbott’s YouTube channel Odin Makes as inspiration, I made my version of Wonder Woman’s shield.  Despite its flaws, I think it
turned out pretty nifty for a first effort.

I’ll probably bring it to school for decoration and imagine it will generate conversations with the students.

Even though both of these pursuits were for my own growth, I will be able to transfer them into opportunities to generate conversation and develop relationships with my students.

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If you bring interesting elements of your life to engage students or, if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share in the comments. I would appreciate hearing from you.