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Many factors intervene in being a good teacher, but beyond how to give a class or how to qualify, this is how we relate to students. In our evolving world of education, one thing remains constant: Our success hinges on our ability to build effective relationships with students. Efforts at establishing positive relationships can and must be strengthened

at the schoolwide level. School leaders who are shifting from an emphasis on discipline to one on relationships must examine their vision, actions, and assumptions about students.

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Data provide a quantifiable starting point for examining the often emotionally charged issues related to school climate. Students should feel comfortable and liked in their school environment, but several of them do not. It is also important to recognize the effort that teachers make, support their efforts to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment.

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Teachers and school leaders cannot merely advocate for better relationships or an improved climate, we must use proven strategies that set students up

for success. Promote a positive vision, school vision must have life and confront the school’s challenges in multiple relevant and measurable ways. Adopt language that daily reinforces your positive vision and expectations. To maintain the positive energy, be sure to celebrate successes. Parents also need to be part of the school’s positive vision. Teachers and principals can bank important capital by calling parents early in the year to check in, introduce themselves, and share one specific and positive insight about their child.

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Effective teachers have always found ways to connect with students, but having a consistent schoolwide system for creating communities can provide crucial structure and support. A morning meeting that includes a greeting, sharing time, a group activity, and a morning message goes a long way toward building community and maximizing instructional time. These meetings provide students a safe structure to engage with one another and the teacher, and they provide teachers an avenue to connect instruction to student interests. Calling the students together for a class discussion before transitioning to recess can provide the means to preview activities in which students can strive to include one another as peers.

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Even with a clear mission and a strong classroom community, some students will continue to challenge teachers and require extra support. At times, students will need a cooling off period outside the classroom, and teachers need to feel that school administrators support them 100% in maintaining a safe learning climate.

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Some students needed more consistent mentoring and supportive relationships with an adult. That adult would check in with the student once a week by having lunch together, tutoring during a free block of time, or perhaps playing a few minutes of basketball during a lunch break.

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Decreased office referrals, fewer student suspensions, increased parent support, reduced teacher exasperation, and a greater focus on instructional time are among the successes that school leaders can experience when they provide

structures and support to promote positive relationships.

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Such support will enhance the time spent in the classroom rather than exacerbate the issues that often result from students not feeling welcome. Teachers will see that a strong classroom community is the cornerstone to success. For parents, the implications are enhanced communication and a greater focus on their student as an individual. And for school leaders, this approach means closely attending to the structures that are required to reach the whole child. With a renewed focus on relationships, our students will indeed realize that they belong in school.

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(Students Who Challenge Us, 2012) https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3d0NBiDBjFMcmRXS1lST1pXcjA/view