Relationship and Community Building

Being an effective educator involves all of the complexities that exist in human nature. Not only does the teacher need to, personally, lead a balanced life in order to be an effective role model, but he must also be adept at dealing with the many personalities that sit in his classroom each day. With that being said, it seems to be a rather daunting pursuit to step into the classroom and be a “teacher”. We know that so much of what we do, in and out of the school, has an impact on our students. Therefore, the logical place to begin to improve would be with oneself. We need to be effective role models everyday, which can not be minimized. “Research indicates that individuals are more likely to model the behaviors of people whom they view as possessing competence and control over resources, and who are major sources of control, support, and reinforcement-characteristics possessed by teachers” (Jones & Jones, 2007, p. 70). We, also, walk a fine line between being cheerleaders and disciplinarians. We must “simultaneously assert both [our] right to be treated with respect and [our] responsibility for ensuring that students treat each other with kindness. Warmth and concern can exist side by side with firmness. Indeed, effective management involves blending these vital ingredients” (Jones & Jones, 2007, p. 80).

In our assigned reading, Jones and Jones (2007) suggest several ways to improve student-teacher relationships which are, as stated above, as important as the methods of discipline employed. The activities that I feel could be utilized quickly and simply in my classroom are the I-message, demonstrating interest in student activities, and the suggestion box. One change that I could begin tomorrow is the I-message. This method of correcting behavior is effective because it “express[es the] personal feelings [of the teacher] and often deal[s] with student behavior that require[s] change” (p. 111). By explaining, privately, how I feel when a student displays disruptive behavior, I am explaining how his behavior, specifically, impacts me. I am not telling him what he did wrong. As Curwin and Fuhrmann (1975) state, “when I tell someone what’s wrong with him, I virtually take away from him all responsibility for himself….Thus I leave him powerless and probably defensive” (as cited in Jones & Jones, 2007, p. 110). From my vantage point, this is a very compelling reason to begin using the I-message.

Demonstrating an interest in an individual’s activities is an easy, common sense approach to becoming involved with all people, regardless of age, but when used in a student-teacher relationship, it can be instrumental in improving relationships, behavior, and academic achievement. “Students and their guardians are extremely appreciative of and impressed with teachers’ attendance at student activities”, and this is another activity I can begin right away (Jones & Jones, 2007, p. 89).

Given that “students often perceive their teachers as relatively uninterested in their ideas about the classroom” a time efficient way to recognize and honor their ideas and opinions would be to have a suggestion box (Jones & Jones, 2007, p.89). This is another simple, yet effective way to improve student-teacher relationships that I could begin as soon as I provided a box in which to put suggestions. Once a week we could devote time to reviewing the suggestions made in each block, and in this way, projects and procedures could be adjusted to reflect the students’ needs and interests.

Another important aspect of the school environment is peer relationships. “When students are liked by their peers…[they] experience a sense of safety and security, belongingness and affection, significance, respect for others, and power. Students are then able to concentrate more fully on learning and are willing to take greater risks” (Jones & Jones, 2007, p. 123). The above is a strong argument in favor of positive peer relationships in the academic setting, and the first activity that I thought would be valuable for the students, as well as, myself was the Name Chain. The process of repeating names and interests would help everyone to know two important things about each other. In a large middle school, the students, often, do not know each other’s names, and I certainly struggle with names everyday, as well. Initially, an individual’s name is the first, and most basic, fact to learn about a person. When you do not know someone’s name, it has a negative effect on further communication. Any activity that can help us remember each others’ names is worth the investment of time, especially in a large educational setting.

The second activity that could easily be implemented each twelve week session is to design a T-shirt which communicates ideas, interests, and activities that are important to each student and would assist them in getting to know each other better. Finally, I would like to involve my students in more group decision making, “Group cohesiveness [can] be enhanced by involving students in shared decision making about classroom organizational factors or problems” (Jones & Jones, 2007, p. 142). The more my students can become involved in working together to establish the classroom environment, the more they will feel an investment in each other and the community they create together.

All in all, implementing activities which improve student-teacher and peer relationships can only serve to make the educational environment more rewarding for all parties involved. As Wentzel (2003) states, “Research indicates that student motivation and positive behavior increase when students perceive their relationships with peers and teachers to be positive and supportive. In addition to facilitating enhanced learning and more responsible behavior in schools, feeling connected to school is a major factor influencing a wide range of issues associated with the positive mental health of young people and adolescents” (as cited in Jones & Jones, 2007, p. 71). To further explore students and the effects of positive relationships, I found the web site for Positive Behavior Support. This site presents approaches to whole-school programs which improve the behavioral and learning environments within a school, and there are still many sites to visit. Yet, any initiative to improve the relationships within the academic community could only prove to be constructive for the learning environment, as a whole, and I look forward to extending my knowledge and research in the future.

Curwin, R., & Fuhrmann, B. (1975). Discovering your teaching self: Humanistic approaches to effective teaching. Englwood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Jones, V., & Jones, L. (2007). Comprhensive classroom management: Creating communities of support and problem solving (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom 8th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Wentzel, K. (2003). School Adjustment. In W. Reynolds, & g. Miler (Eds.), Handbook of Psychology, Vol. 7: Educational Psychology (pp. 235-258). New York: Wiley.