3 Easy Ways to Build Relationships part 2

The third way to build relationships is to organize regular touch points into your classroom routines and structure so that you are connecting with and learning about your students and vise versa on a regular basis. When these are a part of the natural classroom routine they serve to not only contribute to the overall classroom community making sure it feels safe and fun to learn in the classroom. But it also serves as a way to manage and repair relationships when things inevitably go awry, we make mistakes, or kids are having a really rough time. Teachers and students are human beings and there are going to be challenges we face throughout a school year that make coming to class and doing the hard work of learning feel impossible. Regular touch points help teachers and students manage these times.

Some examples of these touch points can be

Intentional Connections in Warm ups and Closings.

You can do this by utilizing fun warm up questions like would you rather, or making statements that students have to argue for or against like the mountains are clearly better than the beach. These can also be quick like rapid fire questions (stand up/sit down if you agree or disagree with the statement) or find something in the room that is________(red, soft, interesting) … like a mini scavenger hunt to get students moving around. Or having students regularly reflect and communicate as a warm up or closing activity. One thing I have had students do is send closing emails. This can be everyday or once a week where they email me and their families a little summary of their day like 1) Tell me one thing you accomplished today 2) Tell me something you struggled with or overcame today or a question you have 3) Tell me something you want me to know about you. I have also offered this as a place for students to ask me personal questions or ask for advice on things going on in their lives. This was great as a regular touchpoint not only with me but by having them email home their people who support and take care of them they were also in the loop and offered me a way to connect with a family when needed as well as established that me and the family were team student.

Random questions

You can also use random questions that you ask the students or they ask you. This can be a transition to a new activity routine like once you have completed ____ task vote on hot dogs vs hamburgers on the board. Or a way to partner or group students. (Hold up 1 finger if you like summer the best, 2 fingers for fall, 3 for spring, 4 for winter. Then have them find someone with the same number for a partner or make a group out of people but you have to have 1 person holding up 1 finder , 1 person holding up 2 fingers and so on). Or Opening and closing games ( like musical chairs but with students sharing a fact about themselves and if its also true about you, you have to get up and find a new seat. Last person standing says a new fact and so on) Or closing games where you ask them questions or they ask you questions (where is the coolest place you’ve traveled to? What is the best meal you’ve ever eaten?)

Make content relevant

This is perhaps both the easiest and hardest thing to do. But will likely also have the biggest effect in your classroom. Finding ways to make the learning personal to you and your students is extremely powerful not only in building community but also in helping them understand the content. Explaining ideas through analogies or giving personal examples is the secret sauce of teaching and why teachers won’t ever be replaced with robots or a singular curriculum or Ai. Our human experiences and our ability to relate and explain our personal experiences of using information or a skill in our real lives is a key element of teaching that cannot be overstated or overlooked.

For even more resources like the classbuilding and team building games I do, go here! Or for courses that give you the structures including examples and customizable templates for how to implement things like this into your classroom regularly check this link out!