Important elements in Student-Teacher positive relational connectedness and their impact…

How do you foster positive relationships in the classroom? What are the practical implications?

Who is required to change? Which comes first, the teacher or the student?

Let’s take a look at one of the factors that contribute to positive classroom relationships: “accepting students for who they are-removing teacher’s preoccupied expectations from students”

What did my classroom experience teach me about positive relationships?

I’ve been fortunate to witness the transcendence of each student at various stages through several inspirational incidents in the real classroom. This experience has inspired me to enthusiastically assist students in their learning.

As a teacher and teacher educator who lives in the realm of creative possibilities, every incident in my classroom serves as a reminder of grace, compassion, empathy, and service, prompting me to embody all of these qualities. I believe that the synergy of the educator-student relationship is dependent on the genuine and pure characteristics of grace, compassion, empathy, and service.

The outcomes of positive relationships in the classroom…

Over time, the teacher and student come to see their relationship as unscripted, uncertain and lived outside of the rules of engagement. Educators who are tuned in to relationships demonstrate a pearl of practical wisdom as they relate moment by moment in this play. It eventually leads to the humanization of the educational experience.

My lived experiences and wonderings have provided the impetus for presenting this series of articles on an essential and critical component of the student-teacher relational connectedness.

Influencing factors

I believe that educating and re-educating teachers and teacher educators about essential relationship understandings is critical. To provide the highest quality of service to each student, an educator must transcend certain physical limitations and comprehend some underlying meanings of the phenomenon known as the student-teacher relationship.

I‘ve noticed that personal prejudices and taken-for-granted nature about the classroom and students detract from the lively nature of the learning process. I’d like to share my personal experience with such relationships that provide an impetus for the luminous environment of the classroom.

The context I bring to this article is:

“Accepting students for who they are — removing teacher’s preoccupied expectations from students.”

The purpose of this writing:

Teachers who cultivate excellent relationships with their students provide a more conducive learning environment while also meeting the developmental, emotional, and academic requirements of their pupils.

Over time, the teacher-student connection has grown in sensitivity and attunement to the pedagogic and way of being the partnership. A positive understanding of students makes every teacher more aware of the opportunities to create influential teaching-learning experiences for their students.

Value of “Accepting students for who they are — removing teacher’s preoccupied expectations from students”

The early quality of the student-teacher relationship has a long-term impact. It not only improves academic performance but also emotionally and mentally strengthens students. This behaviour by the teacher totally negates the behavioural issues in the classroom (poorer work habits, more discipline concerns).

Students who are exposed to a high level of emotional support will be more engaged in their studies. Such students enjoy thinking about and solving math problems in particular and they take an active role in their peers’ learning and are always eager to learn new concepts.

“Accepting students as they are”

· will enable a teacher to empathically understand students.

• allows showing your pleasure and enjoyment.
• allow teachers to interact with their students responsive and respectful manner.
• providing assistance that is tailored to students’ needs for them to achieve academic and social goals.
• assist the teacher in becoming acquainted with and demonstrating knowledge of individual students’ backgrounds, interests, emotional strengths, and academic levels.
• allows the teacher to recognize and respect the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Finally, it is an opportunity to provide meaningful feedback to students.

In addition, by removing teacher’s preoccupied expectations from students, the teacher can be more empathetic to all of their needs instead of believing they are supposed to have. It enables the educator to reach the student’s heart. Later on, Students’ performance will improve as their bonds are strengthened over time.

By encouraging students to be caring and respectful of one another, this environment indirectly acknowledges the importance of peers in schools.

There is no place in such a classroom for student victimization or bullying. Communication between students and teachers is never sarcastic or disrespectful; rather, it is always pure, realistic, and meaningful.

Teachers in these types of classrooms are unlikely to resort to yelling and harsh punitive control.

What do studies say?

Hughes and Kwok (2007) found that poor teacher-student relationships were associated with a reading achievement gap between African-American and White students in the United States. They discovered that first-grade students who had poorer relationships with their teachers were less engaged in school and had lower academic achievement in second grade. This study emphasizes the importance of teachers developing the best possible relationships with all students, regardless of ethnic background.

“Accepting students for who they are” first transforms the teacher and requires the teacher to go above and beyond to develop long-term relationships with difficult students. It leads to the development of positive relationships with students who exhibit challenging behaviour.

Finally, regardless of the academic level of students in the classroom, this approach increases teachers’ satisfaction with their students because it paves the way for each student to be treated as a priority.