Background: Teaching fifth grade has been the most heartbreaking and heartwarming thing I've ever done. Now, I've only done it for two years and am only in my third year of teaching, so I am in no way calling myself an expert because I've still got a lot to learn. However, I do know that the key to my success and the success of my students has been because of the strong relationships I have with each and every one of them. With that being said, my goal in this blog post is for any teacher to strengthen their relationship building skills by applying these five tips, so that they too can join their students on the pathway to success.
1. Throw out the pink and blue student information sheets.
Okay, don't really throw them out, but stick them in a place for safekeeping for the duration of the entire school year. Mine are currently in the bottom of a filing cabinet collecting dust. They have gone untouched and unread since they were handed to me during pre - planning. Bottom line, every student deserves a fresh start with every teacher, because no matter how you slice it, reading about how many times a student missed school, or how they never completed their work is going to skew your view of that student before they have even been given a chance to give you their first impression.
I think back to my first year of teaching and just last year, the school gossip was all about a girl with severe attendance issues. Teachers were complaining about how she was going to score low and affect their evaluations. I heard nothing positive or even personal about the child for two years. For me it the negativity was in one ear and out the other. Then this school year, that child was placed in my classroom for her final year of elementary school after missing over 100 days of fourth grade, or so I've heard. Today, she's got solid grades, assists other students, attends tutoring and is showing the world who she truly is. Now, I'm not saying that this feat was easy, but it definitely was less difficult because I didn't have any assumptions about the student prior to her walking in my classroom. We still talk about her attendance, however it's now a positive thanks to the fresh start she was given this year.
2. Faces and names matched by Meet the Teacher. Nicknames by the end of the year.
At least if you're an overachiever like me, if not then the first day of school will due. Every student takes pride in their name and it's usually plastered everywhere in an elementary classroom. You knowing every students' name is a simple way to show them that you know them as an individual. On the other hand, nicknames are a great way to show love and endearment, especially if the nickname relates to something the students likes or is because of traits that you have seen observed in your classroom. This year the nicknames in my classrooms have gone to a whole other level with the likes of "Olive Garden," "Good Boy," "Mr. Caleb" and many more. Nicknames for 42 fifth graders was no easy feat, but the way their faces light up anytime I call them by their nickname makes it all worth it because their nickname is another name that they can take pride in and be proud of.
Reflecting on the students who have ownership of the three nicknames referenced above makes me incredibly proud. Their academic and personal growth has been amazing this year, and we still have another quarter of the year to go. These three have made grade level jumps in their education, become better people, and most importantly have enjoyed celebrating their success when I give them shout outs in class as "Olive Garden," "Good Boy," and "Mr. Caleb."
3. Morning and afternoon greetings are a MUST.
One of my simplest tips, but it makes such a difference, especially since I have two classes. The greetings don't have to necessarily be handshakes, now if you want to have personalized handshakes with each student then go for it, I know that I don't. My greetings consist of greeting every student at the door with a hug, high five or as my boys prefer and hand ruffling their hair. The gestures are simple but they get my students happy and fired up for a great day of learning.
4. Always find the root cause.
Every problem has a root cause. The foundation that caused the problem to get to the level that it's at now, and it is our job as not only their teacher, but as one of the student's trusted people in life to help them identify the cause in order to solve it. In my opinion, nothing is ever surface level. A child doesn't cry just because, there's almost always something more. During my afternoon block last week one of my students began crying and getting upset. This caught me off guard, because this student has never once displayed these emotions, so I knew that the cause couldn't have occurred during my class. It had to be something more. Low and behold, hugs and tears later, I learned what was going on with his family at the moment, which put everything into perspective.
It's because I know what makes that child tick. I know how he is as a person that I knew that the root cause of what he was experiencing had to be found. Finding the root cause, allowed him to feel the relief he needed in order to process everything he's going through and then continue on with his school day at after school tutoring. In fact after my student opened up to me, he asked if he could make up his assignments during tutoring. He did and he crushed them, which just goes to show that finding the root cause is crucial to a child continuing on their journey to success.
5. Be your true authentic self when teaching.
Don't change your personality to be what you think a stereotypical teacher should be. Be exactly who you are outside of the classroom inside of it as well, because your students will then immediately feel comfortable to be their true authentic selves as well. If you're loud and vivacious, be loud and vivacious. If you're funny and quirky, be funny and quirky. If you're energetic and extra, be energetic and extra. I'm from New York, so I'm naturally loud. Additionally, I'm also sarcastically funny, energetic and extra. Meaning that if you walk into my classroom I'm loud, funny, energetic and extra, and apparently so are my students. I've seen my students' personalities come alive this year, and it has made my classroom the place to be. Whether it be High School Musical sing along sessions with my students, cracking jokes, standing on a table while teaching, or cheering on my students both in school and outside of school, I'm the extra teacher, and I'm proud of it.
Don't let the loudness of my classroom fool you, my students are learning, having fun, becoming friends, sharing experiences and carving their pathways to success being exactly who they are, because I've shown them exactly who I am.
References:
Dyck, B. (2004, August 30). The Power of a Fresh Start: Education World. Retrieved from https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/voice/voice129.shtml
