The Power of Relationship

    School’s in session and the race is on.   That is, the urgent rush to deliver and master the three R’s:  reading, (w) riting, and (a) rithmetic.  But, wait, step back for a moment and consider the fundamental R for everyone…Relationships!

    How do we get students to care about their learning? This is the one question that has plagued teachers for years.   In Learning That Never Ends, we share the findings of multiple researchers on just that question.  The answer: teaching children to first care for themselves, their fellow students, their environment, and then they are more capable of being concerned about academics.

     Where do we begin? By realizing that in order for students to thrive academically, they first need to feel cared for, accepted, and appreciated as valued members of the classroom community.

     The time spent on learning to care is not wasted time. It builds the foundation necessary for learning to flourish. Rarely can we, as humans, grow in an environment where we don’t feel cared for, appreciated, or accepted.

      The time it takes to model what it looks like and sounds like to care for something or someone is worth it.

       Teaching students to care is a worthwhile investment. Students who feel a sense of respect and responsibility tackle their school work with more conviction, whereby both teachers and students experience more success.

       Paula Denton and Roxann Kriete recommend a slow and deliberate start to the academic curriculum. They assert that beginning the school year with a strong emphasis on teaching and modeling respect and responsibility, as well as creating a sense of community will:

 

1. BUILD a solid foundation of trust and warmth between the teachers and children and among the children.

2. GIVE children many opportunities to model role play and practice expected behaviors in order to be successful.
3. CREATE an environment where it is safe to take risks, make mistakes and work to fix mistakes.
4. NURTURE and extend each child’s sense of belonging to a group, of being an important contributor to the group, and of needing the group.
5. NURTURE each child’s ability to exercise independence and responsibility in work, care for materials and care for others.
6. EXCITE and motivate children to the potentials of learning in their classroom environment.