“How was your gymnastics
meet this weekend?” “Did you level up on your video game last night?” “Yes I
did listen to that song you told me about!” “How is your dog doing?”
Wait, what am I reading?
Is this a conversation between friends? Nope, this is a list of questions I
asked my students last week. I make a point to really get to know my students,
their likes and interests, so they know I care about them. I talk to them about
what's happening in their lives because I value building student relationships above
everything else. As a teacher I know building student relationships is a key
component to student success. I want my students to feel loved and valued, and
building relationships with them is the key. I work hard at building great
relationships with my students while they are in the classroom with me, but how
do I continue building student relationships when I am away from my kiddos,
like on spring break? Read more to learn how I continue building student
relationships while on a school breaks.
Building Student Relationships with a Class Facebook Page
Keeping in touch with
your students when they are away from the classroom is so important. When you
reach out to them while on a school break it shows them how much you really
care. One way you can work on building student relationships while on a school
break is to start a class Facebook page! I know some of you may be thinking,
talk to my students on Facebook? No way! However, I have to tell you that I
have had a closed class Facebook page for the past four years and I love it!
For one thing, it is a great tool for parent communication. Additionally, it is
an excellent way to stay in touch and continue building student relationships
while you are away from school! How? You can link videos your students would
enjoy watching, post a class poll, post pictures of your pets, share class
notes/ information, and so much more! HERE is a video link you can watch
if you are interested in setting up your own class Facebook page to help you
continue building student relationships. P.S. I tried my first ever Facebook
live with my students today and they loved it!
Building Student
Relationships with a Google Classroom
Google classroom is
another great tool to help you continue building student relationships while on
a school break! You can create a classroom space on google and invite your
students to join you. Here you can ask fun questions, daily emotion check ins,
create polls, and so much more! Now of course you can use Google classroom for
great educational purposes and online learning opportunities, but were not
talking about that right now. If you want to start using Google Classroom to
help you continue building student relationships, check out THIS link.
Building Student Relationships Through Writing Letters
As we all know, not all
students have access to technology while they are at home? So how are you going
to continue building relationships with those kiddos, write them a letter! I
love the internet as much as the next girl, but there is something special
about getting a snail mail letter from someone. Take a minute while you're on
break and write your students a letter, you will be surprised how much it means
to them. When I send home letters over summer and winter breaks, I always have
kiddos write back or tell me at school how much they loved getting a letter
from me. If you want to write your students a letter over break, click HERE to
download this free template!
Want to learn more about building student relationships? Read my blog post about the Happy Teacher Challenge and get some great tips to build student relationships! Click HERE!
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