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Teachers should hold their students to high expectations. Do not let assumptions based on students’ past experiences, grades, and family history shape your opinion of the students’ ability. Students will only perform as well as you expect them to.

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2) Student's Challenges Outside School Building

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2) Student's Challenges Outside School Building

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Remember that every child is different and has distinctive requirements to be successful in the classroom. Consider any challenges that students face in the school building and outside the school building and offer support or resources

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Create classroom rules collaboratively and enforce them fairly. Not all students have the same disincline structure at home and may have a hard time adapting to an environment different from their home.

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Short article on classroom management for all students.

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By DAN SCRATCH

When I think back to when I was training to be a teacher there was not a topic I hated more than "classroom management". I remember the course I took on the subject reading a text about how to maintain control and order in the classroom. And while most of my early conversations in teaching revolved around how I should embrace more authoritarian styles of classroom management, I wanted to seek, search out and experiment with what and how classroom management could look like when approached from a more just, equitable and democratic model. This task has proven to be difficult as I have never been a student in such a classroom and although there is ample research to advocate for equity and democratic practices in the classroom, putting these practices into place has been both a struggle and a worthwhile adventure. I've outlined my approach to classroom management below in no particular order. Just a few things I've learned over the years in working to create classrooms that foster equitable and democratic relationships between teachers and students.
Relationships
If I had to describe my classroom management style, I would probably call it relational. I firmly believe that making connections and building relationships with students is the most important thing I can do to let them know that they matter, their success in my class is important to me, and I care about them as human beings. Everything from welcoming my students at the door, asking questions about their lives and making time to have conversations outside the classroom context goes a long way to ensuring that students feel respected and feel good about coming to my class.

Classroom Culture
A big part of creating an equitable classroom culture is to ensure I understand how many of the issues of the outside world impact the lives of my students. Issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, and colonialism all impact students. When students are struggling or acting out in my class I want to ensure that I don't merely react to the behaviour but instead compassionately respond to the root issues of how a student is acting out. With the many responsibilities we have as teachers, we can sometimes default into looking at our students through a deficit lens, which places the blame of misbehaviour on them or we begin to seek out character flaws in students. An equitable educator should be responsive to the classroom environment and how that impacts certain students and also understand that many students are dealing with very serious issues outside the classroom, which can perpetuate acting out and non-compliance in the classroom. This is a long-term problem to solve in any class but it never hurts to pull a student aside to offer support and a chance to have a conversation about the behaviour you're witnessing to get to the heart of the issue for that student.
Restorative Justice
Engaging in acts of restorative justice goes a long way to ensuring that your most difficult students feel that not only do they have to meet high expectations but that you are invested in their success in your class. It can also offer opportunities for conflict between students to be settled equitably and have consequences that treat the student with dignity and respect. I'm taking a year-long course in restorative justice this year through Simon Fraser University and I hope to be writing about this in much more detail in the future.
Youth Voice and Democratic Classrooms
I firmly believe that if teachers act as authoritarians in our classrooms and schools then we cannot expect our students to function in a democratic society. The majority of teachers I've worked with over the years want our students to be engaged and contribute to their communities in a positive way. However, how can we expect students to become engaged and learn democratic citizenship skills if they are never required to practice this in schools? Schools should be one of the most important training grounds for a democracy and our classrooms management models can offer us a lot of hope. In my classroom, I often make a classroom charter at the beginning of the year to discuss important rules, norms, and expectations that students should adhere to for a successful classroom. It's also essential that students continually have voice and choice throughout their learning on issues of classroom rules, discipline, and assessment. I've incorporated conferencing and portfolio's into my classroom over the last 3 or 4 years and it has really improved communication between myself and students as well as offering students opportunity to have a say on how they demonstrate their knowledge and opinions of how the classroom can be improved. Most importantly, I meet with a small group of students (of different backgrounds and abilities) every week to discuss what's working and not working in my classroom. This feedback is invaluable and goes a long way to not only improving as a teacher but students seeing that their voices and ideas actually matter.
Culturally Relevant and Engaging Lessons
Lastly, one of my best classroom management strategies is to offer students lessons and learning opportunities that are culturally relevant, engaging, academically challenging and fun. If students see themselves in what they're learning they can easily make connections and see the importance of why they're learning about this. I will admit that this can be challenging with a set curriculum but part of the fun in working with the curriculum is seeing new possibilities of how outcomes can be presented in new ways. Improving my teaching practice by involving elements of hip hop, art and call and response techniques have helped me to engage even the most reluctant of learners. Music, and especially in our times, hip-hop is such a powerful tool. I can say without a doubt that many students can learn more from a song than they will from a textbook. Bring these tools into your classroom and push yourself to teach in ways that aren't comfortable for you. That process of growth in becoming a more effective educator has helped me with my classroom management in ways I can't even begin to explain. But most of all, we want to spark a joy and love of learning in our classrooms that are connected to the real lived experiences of youth.

Classroom management will never be an overnight success for any teacher. It requires a process of experimentation, building relationships and meeting the unique needs of each class you teach. I am by no means an expert but for those of you hoping to create a classroom built on the principles of equity and justice, I hope that you have found the above strategies and ideas worthwhile. If we believe in a different way of relating to young people then we have to reimagine our role as teachers in the classroom. Give up the power and control and embrace an equitable relationship where teachers and students can create successful and equitable classrooms together. For a more detailed review and toolkit for classroom management, check out Teaching Tolerance's work, "Reframing Classroom Management: A Toolkit for Educators".

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Managing Your Classroom for Equity and Social Justice

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By DAN SCRATCH When I think back to when I was training to be a teacher there was not a topic I hated more than "classroom management". I remember the course I took on the subject reading a text about how to maintain control and order in the classroom.

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Use informal and formal conversations with your students. Instead of asking students how their weekend was, ask them what they did. Keep discussion questions flexible to accommodate a variety of responses and unique experiences from your own. Students from low-income families may have different experiences on holidays and weekends that could affect their attitudes towards others.

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Building relationships with students is important in reaching all students.

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This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Any purchases made through one of our links earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All creative ideas and opinions expressed are purely my own. Read our full privacy policy and disclosure for more information.
Developing positive student-teacher relationships is a breeze when you practice these ten ways to connect with students.
Ways to Build Positive Student-Teacher Relationships

We all know that teaching is more than just passing on facts to students. We know that teaching is equipping, motivating, influencing, and shaping kids to be life-long learners and successful adults! Also, it is showing them how to interact with others and be productive citizens.

One of our most powerful tools for accomplishing these goals is positive student-teacher relationships. When they trust us, they are more able and willing to learn from us. The following are some ways to build positive student-teacher connections during the time you have together in the classroom or online when we are teaching remotely.

1. Positive Student-Teacher Relationships Require Getting to Know Your Students

This is the place to start! How can you have a relationship with people you don't know?

Seek to find out about your students and to show interest in them. Many of these ideas work well toward the beginning of the school year. Repeat them as new students enter the classroom or join you virtually.

Alternately, repeat them at the end of the year to see how they have changed over the year.

"All About Me" - Build confidence by having students write and share about themselves so that you can learn more about them. Schedule a few kids to share each day and encourage them to bring in something special to school or to share during an online morning meeting.

Back to School Community Building Activities - These activities are the perfect companion to your start of school lesson plans. Find mini-lesson ideas and engaging activities that build connections in the classroom and teach valuable social and emotional skills to children during the most crucial time of year!

Interview your students - Have a sit-down or face-to-face talk online with each student, asking them serious or fun questions to learn more about them.

Presentations - Have students create a presentation about their life and present it to the class. Listen and ask questions after each presentation. This might be an excellent activity to repeat at the end of the school year to show how they have changed.

2. Listen to Your Students

As teachers, we can get so wrapped up in the things that we want to get done. We sometimes forget to slow down and truly listen to our students.

Establishing and maintaining a connection with students is vital and takes deliberate effort. Here are some ideas for keeping the lines of communication open.

Morning meetings - this routine requires the whole class to come together each day and is a favorite routine among many teachers. During this time, listen to your students, and find out what they're interested in, what their biggest worries are, and validate or repeat them, so they know you hear them and understand.

Dialogue journals - This tool can be an ongoing way to touch base with students. Each student has a journal in which the teacher may ask a question or write a thought. Afterward, the student responds. The conversation can continue back and forth and cover any range of topics.

"Office time" - If possible, have some time in the mornings or during times when students are not in your room that you are available if a student needs to discuss an issue with you. By letting the students know when this "office time" is, they will be able to come and talk to you alone, without their classmates listening. Offer "virtual office hours" for when you are available to meet with students online.

Ice-Breaker games - These are fun ways to get students connecting in different ways. Find many enjoyable community-building activities, plus get to know you games that work well if you are teaching in person.

3. Develop a Positive Classroom Environment

If students are part of a positive class environment, they are more likely to be able to relax and connect to those around them. As teachers, we have a lot of power in setting the tone of the class.

Use a positive rewards system - Rather than emphasize the negative and punishments, focus on rewarding positive behavior. Here is a set of editable reward coupons you can use that don't involve the prize box. You can use Class Dojo to keep track of the rewards they earn whether you are in the classroom or online.

Speak Calmly - A calm demeanor and slow, clear, and gentle speech are contagious. Even when things inside seem crazy, stay calm, and lead the way to productive conversation and leadership. Encouraging kids to remain calm and develop self-regulation strategies will lead to healthier relationships going forward.

Morning meetings - Incorporate morning meeting time into each day as a way to connect with your students. Here are some great slides you can use throughout the year to facilitate conversation in your morning meeting time.

Encourage kindness - Children will learn how to be kind to peers and authority figures when you set the tone and expectations for behavior, as well as provide learning opportunities for practicing kindness.

4. Develop Strategies to Deal with Stress and Frustration

One of the main hurdles of developing positive relationships with kids is our own frustration and impatience with them. Teaching (and parenting!) is hard. The truth is, dealing with little people all day can take a toll on our patience. Try some of these tips to decrease your stress so that you don't miss out on crucial moments of connection with your kids.

Music - Play relaxing music at appropriate times in the classroom. By doing so, you bring down the stress level of the classroom. Lowering the lights may help, as well. Try a classical music or productivity playlist to encourage focus and a calm environment for all!

Organization - Stay organized! Disorganization can cause us to miss opportunities to connect with students. Keep an orderly and well-run system of classroom organization to alleviate some of the pressure.

Relax and Have Fun - Try to bring light, enjoyable activities in the classroom or online whenever possible. Fun Friday is a great way to build fun into your classroom routines! Allow kids to select a "choice" activity for a chunk of the day and spend time with them during this time.

Just Breathe - Practice breathing exercises to calm yourself down. Teachers and students benefit greatly from slowing down and practicing mindfulness.

Focus on the positives - Each week, make a habit of writing down three good things that happened that week (or day). Practicing gratitude is a beneficial practice with positive results!

Prepare a bookshelf full of positive,Read children's books - social-emotional learning books or have online versions of books read aloud ready to play during meetings will benefit you and the kids throughout the year.

5. Teach and Model Positive Relationship Principles

We must teach by example. Teach kids how to interact positively with one another and with us. They watch how we act and model their behavior after ours. But they also have to be directly taught certain principles.

6. Give Students a Voice in the Daily Routine

By letting kids have some influence on the daily routines of the class, they can take more ownership of the class. They will feel more valued and accepted.

Find their interests - Give surveys to see what things students are interested in and try to incorporate them into your lessons.

Comment/Suggestion box - For teachers in the classroom, having a comment box is a good plan. Kids can write down concerns or suggestions in a non-threatening way.

Rules Ownership - Let students help develop your classroom rules and expectations. Develop a classroom contract to share in setting the stage for a positive year!

Student displays - Encourage kids to create decorations for the classroom, so they feel more ownership in the space. Displaying projects and artwork on the walls creates a colorful atmosphere that they can feel pride in. For students who are at home, encourage them to display their work on the fridge or a dedicate space and to upload images to share with the class.

7. Set a Respectful Tone

Student-teacher relationships will be much better if there is mutual respect.

Patience - Don't interrupt students when they are speaking. Practice "the pause" - wait a few seconds before responding, giving thought to their comments or questions first.

Validation - Allow students to voice their opinions, even if you disagree. Show them by example, how to respectfully disagree without belittling or disregarding their beliefs or views. Validating them builds confidence and helps them open up to you more.

Explicitly teach respect - Use these lessons that address such topics as respect in the classroom. Teaching respect has a considerable effect on the classroom community.

8. Positive Student-Teacher Relationships Includes Parents

Fostering good relationships with parents will help with the student-teacher connection. It is essential that teachers not forget the great ally they have in their parents.

Access to Information - Have an online platform (such as a website, Google Classroom, or SeeSaw) or a folder that goes home or is used every day, so that communication can flow between teacher and parent. As a result, this will positively impact the connections with the student as well as the parents.

Share the positives - Make sure to let parents know about the positive things their child does, not just the negative. For those teaching remotely, ask families to periodically share positive things their child is accomplishing at home and celebrate it during a class meeting.

Invitation to Help - Invite parents to have more of a role in the classroom and at home, when possible. There's always a place where they can join in the fun and lend a helping hand.

9. Share a Bit of Your Life with Students

Letting your guard down a little will break down barriers with your students. When they see you as a real human, not a "perfect" teacher, they will find you more approachable.

What matters to you - Bring in something important to you and tell the class about it. Alternatively, you can have a special item to share with your students online for them to get to know more about you and your life.

Personal Tidbits - Share a few pictures of your family or photos from the trips you have taken. You could even enlarge photos of past class field trips or events and post them around the room as conversation starters.

Tell Stories - Share funny stories or even sad ones, with your students. Tell them about what things were like when you were in school.

Read - Introduce them to your personal favorite children's books and stories.

10. Make Personal Connections Each Day

Speaking to your students as they enter the classroom and exit will help them feel as though they are a vital part of the class. If you are teaching remotely, start the day with a virtual greeting and question.

Beginning of the day - Stand in your doorway in the morning to greet students with a smile and personal greeting by name. Welcoming them ensures that each child has a personal one-on-one connection with you each day.

End of the day - Have an exit question that the kids must answer at the end of the day to leave the room. Maybe this is connected to a lesson that was taught. Or, perhaps it is merely an answer to a question about the weekend. There are so many options. But it allows each student to be acknowledged as they leave the class for the day.

Although it takes some work, making meaningful connections with your students is well worth the effort. Your classroom, whether in person, or online, will run more smoothly, your students will increase their success, and you will have the joy of knowing that you are positively impacting others' lives. It's time to put some strategies into action!

Resources to Help you Build Positive Relationships in the Classroom

Try a Free Week of Morning Meeting

Try social-emotional morning meetings in your classroom with this FREE week-long resource! It includes editable PowerPoint and PDF slides, printable cards, and instructions on how to use. Click the image below to grab a copy.

More Ways to Connect with Students
Relationships with Students from the Start
PIN
Friendship Activities and Lessons to Build Classroom Friendships Get to Know You Games

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Positive Student-Teacher Relationships: 10 Ways to Connect with Kids

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This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Any purchases made through one of our links earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All creative ideas and opinions expressed are purely my own.

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Use different materials and ways to connect students to what they are learning in the classroom. If you are teaching through online resources such as Google Classroom or in the classroom, use a combination of videos, written materials, worksheets. Print off materials for students to use at home. They may not have access to internet.

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Encourage low-income students to get involve with extracurricular activities. This will help them build positive relationships with peers, coaches, and club sponsors. Nominate low-income students to get tested for gifted programs.

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Information on sports and low income families. 

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Information on sports and low income families. 

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Sports and extracurricular activities are excellent ways to teach low income students teamwork, resilience, leadership, accountability, respect, and patience.

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/ MoneyWatch

Youth sports in the U.S. are diverging according to income -- more middle- and lower-income students quitting athletics while participation among wealthier children is rising.

The typical family with kids who play sports spends about $700 a year on fees, equipment and more, but some spend up to $35,000.

More public schools are also charging "pay-to-play" fees, pricing out some families.

Wealthier families often spend more on kids' sports in hopes of securing college admissions for their children.

From Little League to the ubiquitous suburban soccer field, youth sports in the U.S. have long been considered an important part of growing up. But the rising cost of playing sports, coupled with rising economic inequality, is increasingly leading poor and even middle-class families to hang up their cleats.

That trend is being fueled by the growth in "pay-to-play" sports, which is making organized athletics prohibitively expensive for many households. Participation in sports among families earning less than $75,000 has dropped since 2011, according to The Aspen Institute's Project Play.

By contrast, children from better off families are participating in ever great numbers. About 7 of 10 children from families that earn more than $100,000 play sports, compared with 3 in 10 from families earning less than $25,000, the non-profit think tank found in a 2018 report.

The typical American family spends about $700 per year on their child's sports activities, but some parents shell out as much as $35,000 annually to pay for lessons, camps, school sports fees, equipment, travel and more, according to Project Play. Even public schools are increasingly charging for sports due to budget cuts, data from the Rand Corporation shows.

Families earning $50,000 or less -- or middle- and lower-income households -- cited cost as the top reason their kids don't participate in organized sports, the Rand study noted.

The biggest predictor of sport participation is the parents' income. Only 27.5 percent of children from homes with incomes under $25,000 a year play sports compared to the 45.5 percent of kids from homes with incomes greater than $100,000 a year, via @AspenInstitute pic.twitter.com/w7cGSoCccE
- Dr. Lynne Kenney (@DrLynneKenney) August 12, 2019

"We have a system that is based on the concept of 'up or out,' like we have in a lot of corporate America, except it's not merit-based," said Tom Farrey, executive director of The Aspen Institute's Sports & Society program. "It's disproportionately based on whether you come from a family with money or if you are that child who is simply an early bloomer."

Winning the college game

This represents a massive shift within a single generation, Farrey said. In earlier decades, children played in local team sports, rarely traveling outside their local areas for games.

But that's changed, he said, partly due to the pressure from college-minded families to help their children earn athletic scholarships and admission to elite colleges. To make sure their children stand out, they are opening up their wallets for lessons, camps, expensive club teams that travel for tournaments and more.

"Youth sports has been transformed by the chase for the athletic scholarship and the preferential admission to highly selective colleges," he said. "A recruited athlete has a greater advantage than a legacy or a minority or any other population."

That change in the environment for youth sports was evident in the college admissions scandal that tarnished actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman as well as dozens of other parents. Some parents spent millions to bribe college athletics officials, who then offered their children a spot on a college team -- securing them admission to Yale and other prestigious schools. In some cases, the students didn't even play the sport.

Kids are dropping out of youth sports at an alarming rate. That's why @AspenInstSports started #DontRetireKid. There needs to be a sports system that's for all kids, regardless of zip code or talent. https://t.co/DuWzALbPtx pic.twitter.com/qtDSpB7V8D
- The Aspen Institute (@AspenInstitute) August 6, 2019

Of course, most families are simply spending money to further their children's athletic abilities, often with the goal of securing a college scholarship. One in 5 parents with a kid in sports believe it will lead to a college athletic scholarship. That's almost certainly wishful thinking: Only 1 in 10 young people who play sports ever get a sports scholarship, a recent TD Ameritrade study found.

"When you have that kind of system, parents start spending a lot of money," Farrey said. "That's where you get them on the right club teams, hiring private trainers and doing whatever it takes -- buying them the $300 special bat -- to have them succeed at sports."

He added, "It effectively pushes aside a lot of kids on the lower end of the income distribution."

Public schools losing out

Some public schools are adding pay-to-play fees due to shrinking or stagnant sports budgets. In some cases, it's due to caps on property taxes that's making it tougher to find resources for schools or financial struggles.

That pattern can be seen in Ohio, where families in one school district may pay up to $1,000 to enroll their kids in sports, while a family in a nearby district may pay nothing, according to the Dayton Daily News. Some schools charge sports fees because it helps them avoid making cuts; others pared back the charges in order to increase sports participation, the paper noted.

Here is more evidence of how we are pricing poor kids out of sports. Sports are one of the best ways for young people develop the character and grit skills it takes to succeed in life.

National Youth Sport Survey - The Aspen Institute Project Play https://t.co/u6FlMrgExC
- Jon Husted (@JonHusted) August 7, 2019

Meanwhile, poor students face a host of issues that wealthier children don't that can deter them from playing sports, said Mara Mazza of the Kings County Tennis League, a non-profit that teaches tennis to low-income children in Brooklyn. "There are a variety of reasons why kids don't participate in sports. Some of it is access, some of it is transportation and some of it is safety," she said.

The bigger picture, according to the Aspen Institute's Farrey: Middle-class and poor children who can't afford to play sports may be at a distinct disadvantage compared with kids from affluent families.

"The research shows physically active kids are less likely to be obese, more likely to get a college degree, less likely to suffer chronic illnesses including cancer and more likely to be active as adults, and twice as likely to have active children," he said. "Everyone will pay price if we don't get them off the couch."

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Game over: Middle-class and poor kids are ditching youth sports

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Youth sports participation is rising among richer families, as children lower down the ladder exit the field

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Find out which families have access to online communications. Be proactive about how you communicate with families. Use all resources available, such as, letter home to parents, phone messages, email, and face to face meetings.

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Do not give up trying to reach families of low income. Students may be too ashamed to tell you their phone was cut off or parents ran out of minutes on their cell phone. Send multiple letters or contact other family members if you have access to their contact information.

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Increase Parent Involvement

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Be more than a classroom teacher. Keep extra supplies for students. Supplies can range from food to classroom supplies. Make sure your students know where the school’s food bank is located and make time for them to visit on Friday before the weekend.

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This is a short video of a school staff using a food bank to provide boxes of food during holiday and other school breaks to the families that request them.

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The Give: Catherine Hall Food Bank—Milton Hershey School