Connection is an innate human need. Whether or not a child feels that they are accepted and have a place can be the difference between academic success and failure, emotional regulation and behavioural issues, happiness and depression. This means that creating a space for each student to feel welcome and known is vital to supporting their success.
After speaking with multiple experienced teachers and doing my own research on what teachers need to know about their students, and what students need their teachers to know about them, I created this resource to help students and teachers connect. From my conversations with professionals, I learned what teachers first look to learn about their students at the beginning of the school year, how they keep those connections lasting, and what they do to reach the harder-to-reach students.
Before the first day of school, it is common protocol for parents to send in necessary basic information about their children. This could include their child’s medical needs, family history, summary of family/home life, academic strengths and weaknesses, and any diagnosis. When the students first walk in the door, what teachers look to learn from the students is their interests, hobbies, learning needs and habits, concerns, and important relationships.
Throughout the year, teachers use a variety of resources, such as self-driven projects, class story books and novels, and activities to inspire conversations and bonding between students. These relationship-maintenance strategies can be daily, weekly, monthly, or even annually check-ins and techniques. These journal pages can be used along with many other resources and strategies to help foster and nurture these important connections.
Here are some of the resources I used for my research:
Ep. 3: The Power of Building Connections with Dr. Jody Carrington by School of Talk
https://www.bookpage.com/features/connecting-with-kids-in-the-classroom/