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Connecting with your students makes them feel comfortable and love by you. They will learn better when they have a good teacher/student relationship. This will make them grow.

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Ch. 7 hale me to be more thoughtful of how important including students in the plan of their success is vital. If they help build a plan they feel will lead them toward success, then they will be more apointment to stay on track and be diligent to the plan. When success is reached then the whole concept of setting a goal, making a plan, and working hard to reach it is ingrained in who they are and what they do.

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Student-teacher relationships are very important. When a student feels loved and cared for in the classroom, this helps them to relax and learn. I remember in a training one time, the speaker had us to write down every child’s name in our class, and then write one thing that child was passionate about. I knew some of them quickly, but others I had to stop and really think. If we don’t spend that time building a relationship with the children in our class and getting to know them, we are not helping them be the best they can be.

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Pg. 96 has some powerful things to say about challenges and their importance to student learning and growth. I often see students who want to quit if the outcome of something isn't what they wanted. If we teach students the process of progress: take risks, learn to fail, and figure out how to pick themselves up from there and move forward, we have given them a tool that will always lead them to growth!

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Anonymous
In all my years of teaching I have never thought about not having a good relationship with my students. Possibly because I was taught to respect my teachers which in turn caused them to respect me. I want my students to be happy, feel safe, and enjoy being at school. If they are comfortable in their surroundings and have a good relationship with their teacher they will want to learn.

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'We believe that all students need to be challenged with meaningful work. Not just gifted students. All students. All students in your classroom should believe that the work they are doing every day has a purpose, and that purpose should drive them to put forth the effort required to master it" (p. 97) I love this, because teaching this belief at the young age of our students will follow them the rest of their lives and help them always strive for more.

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I feel like building relationships with students, parents, and teachers is vital to the the success of students and school. Pg. 84 reminds us that asking "how" questions pushes toward a solution to problems instead of excuses for them. This reminded me of a time when Mrs. Patterson had the NO Excuses sign hanging in her room as a constant reminder that it is our priority to find a solution to interferences in student learning and behavior problems. It states in the book that "can" questions invoke the fixed mindset. As I thought about that, I reflected on my daily practices and conversations we have in this building. "Can" is an area that I will focus to improve. "How"  will become a focus for me to not only build relationships and improve behavior but also focus on fixing learning interferences.

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(Cara Davis) Page 84-85: "If students don;t like you, they aren't going to learn from you." This statement is so true! If you and a student don't share a personal connection, then both of you are going to have a difficult year together. A student must TRUST you. I want to remember to always strive to have a nurtured classroom because I believe that it's a balanced classroom. There's a lot of love along with a lot of structure.

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I have found that in my years of teaching that by establishing a good relationship with students they have more respect for me. I also like to show respect to them!

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I would agree with your comments that students learn best from teachers they like. It is human to like some better than others so as the adult we have to work to connect with each student. I personally remember teachers that connected with me more than those they did not. I also would add in chapter 5 p.111 the part about one size does NOT fit all. We all are driven by the standards we teach but we have to plan and work towards smaller goals to reach the big ones. set high expectations but keep in mind the small steps they children need to get before reaching the goals. As a NBTC I have experienced the smaller steps process and it has reminded me that my students need the same experiences in my classroom. Growing and learning at each one's pace. It will not always be the same. Chapter 6 was different for me. I took away that teachers and students need to be reflective. If we are truly honest we do not do this enough. We are in need of looking at our craft and what we could do better. I am thankful that I am a work in progress! Now chapter 7. A goal without a plan is just a wish. Educators always set student goals but do we for ourselves? We should have performance and learning goals just like our students. We are life long learners and should be learning new things yearly. Are you better than you were last year? What new ideas did you learn and use. Are you still turning the same old wheel? My thoughts are personal and not intended or targeted to anyone. These chapters just made me think if I want my students to be those things than so should I. Marsh

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In Chapter 4 on page 75 and 76 I totally agree with the statement that students learn best from teachers they like. They need to know their teachers believe in them. By doing National Boards it has helped me appreciate Growth Mindset and want to learn more because they promote relationships with your students more than academics. How well do you know your students? On page 119 I agree with the statement of children love to be praised. But through reading this chapter I have learned there is so much more to praise. We need to be mindful if we are offering person praise or process praise. It is not the praise as much as it is if we are interacting with the child during the task.                                  Jennifer

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pg 85 The Nurtured Classroom - This is what I strive to make my classroom each day where "mistakes are learning opportunities followed by second (or third) chances."  I love the picture on pg 99! It is the perfect representation of what we do for our students each day!

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CH.4 is very important because positive student-teacher relationship is critical. It is important to develop that relationship, so students can relate to you and know that you care. Another aspect that really stood out to me was about feedback in CH. 6. I constantly say "good job," but now, I see the importance of telling students detailed feedback in their assignment. This way they don't strive to be "people pleasers" but instead, try to improve their work/behavior.

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Page 74 on why relationships matter really stuck out to me. I graduated only 7 years ago from the School of Education. However, I remember some discussions even then  telling us that we wanted to be supportive to students but to never let them view us a friend that we were there to teach not make friends. I totally DISAGREE with this logic. I love that the response from the teacher on pg. 74 was, "That kids do not learn from unlikeable teachers". Her response was even backed up by research. Students must feel safe and sense of connection before  learning can ever take place. That has also been a big part of the Conscious Discipline training in Pre-K. There are even books from CD on I love you rituals that promote connections between students and teachers and student to student. I know I listen to and learn more from other adults that I like and feel comfortable with so why should it be different for my students?--L.B

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Renae Mosley
Why relationships matter....I think students who feel connected to their teachers and other school personnel usually have stronger academic performances and better behavior patterns. The comment, “ they don’t pay me to like kids” really bothered me because if you don’t like kids you are in the wrong profession! Kids can tell if you don’t like them. I also agree that positive teacher relationships can improve students relationships with one another. I think when teachers build relationships with not only the children, parents and colleagues as well as  the community ,  the entire school environment improves for all the stakeholders.

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I enjoyed the section in chapter 7 on specific praise. When I say something like "Great," or "Good job," it could relate to any aspect of the students work.Using specific praise holds me accountable for to take the time to recognize what the student has achieved and offer meaningful feedback that tells the student exactly what type of growth I am seeing. I know that great for one child may not be great for another.

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I really enjoyed reading chapter 4 on building student-teacher relationships. I like how they say that building strong relationships with your kids is key to letting them know that they're valued members of the classroom and school. I have always wanted my children to feel safe to come talk to me about anything.

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I really liked ch. 4 on building relationships. Building relationships and knowing your students has been a big part of National Boards, too, so I've been thinking a lot about how my relationships with my kids influences EVERYTHING, from the way I teach to how much they learn. I also liked the pages on praise (starting on 119). I have been working to give praise that is a lot more specific than good job so that the kids see what it is they are succeeding at and also give praise for their efforts.

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I liked the comparisons of the coddled classroom, the nurtured classroom, and the disconnected classroom on page 85.  A students' growth mindset has the most room to flourish when given challenges and know their mistakes are learning opportunities. Teachers who respond to student needs and provide appropriate instruction/challenges create a growth-oriented classroom where students are encouraged to take risks.

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I also love the picture on page 99 that shows Equity versus Equality.  Great representation!!

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the table shows that we should all strive to have our classrooms like the NURTURED classroom.  We should teach the students that mistakes are okay.  It shows that they are trying and we are learning from them.  The students should feel like the teacher cares and encourages them.  This type of classroom is a learning environment that that is conducive to learning!!

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Continued...

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I love the table on page 85.  It is referring to the type of classroom teachers establish.  In the CODDLED classroom the teacher overlooks mistakes and has the attitude that some students just can do it.  The students are helpless.  The NURTURED classroom is where the teacher takes mistakes as learning opportunities and provides second chances.  The students love the teacher because she encourages them.  The students learn to manage their own learning.  The DISCONNECTED classroom is where the teacher has disciplinary actions for mistakes! The teacher is viewed as an authoritarian and not respected.

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Specific praise is a great way to isolate the positive behavior you are looking see.  This is also the idea behind positive discipline that we are using in our school.  When any teacher observes a desired behavior, walking in the hall, he/she can say, "I like the way you are walking."  This reinforces the good behavior, allows other students to hear and think about good behavior, and hopefully positive results will be forthcoming.  Broad praise like what a good boy does not reinforce anything because the child does not know exactly what he/she did correctly.

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Creating high expectations will result in high performance.  If we believe our students are "bloomers" they will act as such.

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Positive teacher-student relationships are the key.  A student must feel comfortable, safe and loved before he or she can learn. Equity verses equality.. All students will not need the same size "box" to stand on.  Some need two boxes, some need none. Get to know your students and figure out which one they need. I also liked the person praise verses process praise.  Letting a student know he worked really hard on something (even though it's not the best in the class) can go far with that child and make them feel proud and want to keep trying.

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I loved the illustration  of Equity  versus Equality.    It reminded me that students do not always need the same support and they should be given what they need to succeed.

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"If you want students to develop a growth mindset and believe in their ability to achieve at high levels with hard work and perseverance, they have to know that you believe they can make it happen." p. 76 "Meaningful relationships are at the core of building a positive school culture and a nurturing learning environment in which students can be empowered to achieve." p. 83 Building relationships with our kids and parents is crucial to seeing this happen. The kids will be more willing to take risks if they feel safe with their teacher. Communicating with quick tips on how to help at home via FB pages, the Remind app, conferences and emails is imperative as well.

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Teaching your students that ALL are a valued member of the classroom. And having your students understand that it is okay to fail and that they should support each other.  But it will take us, as professionals, to demonstrate. We must grow our mindsets to grow our students.

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The Value of Student-Teacher Relationships-This is so true. Especially in today's society. It is so important that a child has that strong relationship with his/her teacher because of what is going on at home. The school/teacher may be their only safe haven that can make a child feel valued.

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On page 124-125 it talks about student feedback stems. This reminds me of "Stars and Wishes", which is a feedback stem that Diane taught us to use when our students are peer reading.

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i highlighted lots on page 96-97.  I love this equation: Nurturing Environment + Challenging Work + High Expectations = Growth.  High Expectations were drilled in our heads back when Mr. Morton was here.  Its so important that we have those high expectations.  I remember Mr Morton talking to us about the lab rats that we just read about again on page 112.  "if rats became brighter when expected to, then it should not be far-fetched to think that children could become brighter when expected to by their teachers."

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Pg 89: "As a teacher part of your job is to coach parents.  Most parents don't have an education degree; they need guidance on how to help their child"  I totally agree with this statement.  I've used several avenues to communicate with parents this year.

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pg. 76 Relationships matter! "Building strong relationships with your students is key to letting them know that they're valued members of the learning community in the classroom and school."

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Pg 119    Person Praise---Process Praise    When giving praise to a child, instead of just saying "You're so smart", go a little further. Praise the actual effort the child put in a task.  This gives the message that hard work (even when mistakes are made) leads to success.

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Although there is always room for improvement but I think our faculty does well building strong relationships with colleagues (p.91). One wonderful example that I observed last week was when Mrs. Willoughby asked to check out the "Tortoise and the Hare" story for her to use to teach perseverance. I found out that she had invited Mrs. Aida to come into her classroom and share her life story of perseverance. I thought that was an awesome example of collaborating with a colleague to show our students firsthand that "achievement is born of hard work" (p.137)

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I especially agree with the text on p74-76 about the importance of positive teacher-student relationships and how students do not learn from people they do not like. It makes me think about how I treat all of our students. Am I effectively showing ALL 500 students that I care about them? My daughter often comments on how she enjoys certain classes. When I ask her why, I realize that it is not the subject matter that she likes, but it is the teacher that makes all the difference. It is the teachers who genuinely care about her and put forth the effort to know her as an individual, the ones who take the time to talk with her and share things about their own family and lives with her.

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Equity versus Equality. "That's not fair!"   I loved the picture-It tells the whole story. Sometime, somedays, someone needs a break. We have so many kids on so many different levels. We need to give them what they NEED to succeed. Page. 99

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The two min check-in. Mr. H connected with his students. I am where I am today because of people that cared enough to want to hear me.    I also liked Ms. B's Journal- Having to eat Humble Pie. Page 83