Student-Teacher Connections:
It is the teacher’s responsibility to learn student names before the first day of school. Most schools require a photo with an application, so even new students should be identifiable before they arrive. When an adult greets a child by name, it establishes a sense of belonging and welcome immediately, and it also cultivates mutual respect.
Make an effort to have a face-to-face conversation with every single student, every single day. It’s surprisingly hard to do, but it is essential to keeping a pulse on the wellbeing and learning of each student.
Giving compliments regularly, both in private and in front of the class encourages good behavior and helps students feel seen and heard.
Student-Student Connections:
Make playtime a priority! Withholding recess or playtime is a tragic way to intervene because play is the opportunity to socialize and connect with peers. It’s a chance to collaborate, to negotiate, to laugh, to compromise, and to explore together.
Create a variety of partner and group work projects. Sometimes it makes sense to mix students with peers they don’t know well, and sometimes it makes sense to let them work with a close friend. By giving students a chance to work with favorite friends and lesser-known acquaintances, the teacher gives the class a chance to look forward to group work and get better at building new friendships.
Conduct daily morning meetings. Responsive Classroom’s model emphasizes the need for community in order to help cultivate social-emotional learning alongside academic gains. By connecting with one another, listening to a daily share, and enjoying time together, students find common ground and spark new friendships. Zaretta Hammond wrote a practical blog post about how to make your classroom more culturally responsive, which should also be a consideration in morning meetings (not to mention your lessons!).
Teacher-Family Connections:
Send good news home early and often. My goal is to send home a personal email to every family at least once during the first week of school. Class newsletters and blogs are so valuable, but there is nothing more heartwarming to a parent than hearing a story about their own child’s triumph at school.
When in doubt, pick up the phone. Never, never, never send bad news home in an email. If you want to build connection and partnership with parents, pick up the phone and tell the full story--use your voice inflection to communicate compassion, concern, and all the other signs of empathy that are so hard to convey in an email. If documentation is a concern, you can always follow up a phone call with a summarizing email that details next steps.
Invite families into the classroom. Whether as a guest reader, a lunch date, or to share a special lesson, including families in the fabric of the school day will be a fun occasion for students and give parents context they would otherwise never have about their kids’ lives between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Give them a chance to peek into the world of school and delight them with the joy of a classroom!
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