Gone are those days, when teachers were needed to be intimidating. In this day and age, the easy way to reach a teacher's goal is to ensure learners are engaged in the lesson and are motivated to keep the classroom conduct. Creating a healthy classroom environment can be achieved when teachers can successfully build relationships with their students. And it is an absolute truth. When a teacher has established strong relationships with learners, it can help them develop a strong foundation in academic success.

#Strategy 1: Remember Your Student’s Name!

Do you struggle to remember your student’s name!

Though embarrassing, forgetting a student's name is very common among teachers. Nonetheless, we all know how important is to learn students name and perhaps it is the first step towards building an authentic relationship with students.

Using Name Tents

Name tents are simple and a classic way to initiate a connection with students. It can also help to improve student relationships among each other. On the first day of school, making a name tent can be utilized as a fun and creative activity. A name tent made out of a paper folded in half. On the front side, the students write their names in the center, and on each side, they can write something about themselves.

For instance, you can have each of your learners design a name tent on simple folding paper and ask them to share a few of their favorite interests around their name. and then you can put each of the name tents up in the class. This can be an absolute lifesaver for remembering students' names, plus you can learn more about your students.

#Strategy 2: Develop Organic Connection

It begins with knowing your students on a personal level. Learning about your student's interests can help you to form connections with ease. When teachers make such an effort to know their learners, it shows that the teacher is trying to reach out to the students not just to establish a well-managed classroom environment but to build meaningful relationships. Setting such a tone also makes it easier to engage students in the lesson, and provides a learner-centric approach to the curriculum.

Additionally, you can also choose to spend some one-on-one time with students who have behavioral issues. Normally in a larger classroom, learners tend to feel lost, and that they may feel unheard. By individual focus, teachers can allow that extra attention. One basic thing about building better relationships is to know about students' backgrounds, their personalities in general, and how they usually behave within the group. This connection between the teacher and students allows a wider scope synchronous learning environment also; your learners will be less likely to act out in the classroom.

#Strategy 3: Share Your Stories

Building healthy relationships even within the four walls of the school cannot be one-sided. One thing your learners would like about you as the teacher is comfortable around students. Of course, that does not mean you need to have friendship with them, however, being friendly and sharing a bit about yourself too can go a long way.

For instance, sharing about your teaching experience and story that you find particularly compelling. Your learners would love to hear about those while they sit at their desks. Another great way to share stories with them is about how you were as a student in your school time. Many students can relate to you on multiple grounds – especially how you faced challenges and how you have overcome it.

Finally, a classroom is at its best when students know how to self-regulate themselves. Having strong student relationships is absolutely necessary for honing classroom management skills. besides, students deserve to have a teacher in their life who cares about them, and who is keen on building intentional positive relationships to give them a sense of connection with the authoritative figure.

Academic learning can be made holistic when we incorporate interpersonal and social relationship aspects. It can give them the opportunity to become more social, learn about each other, and create a community to grow together as learners.

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Written By : Samantha Kanth