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In what ways do you make your students feel valued?
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I teach elementary art. I try to listen to each student who wants to show me something they made. They put their heart and great effort into their projects and validating that effort shows that I value them. I also supervise the early morning room, and try to greet each student by name, with a smile, and ask them about their morning. We have a lot of great conversations in the mornings!
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This is something I need to work on.
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Each day before the beginning of any lesson, I take the time to talk to my students. I let them tell me about their morning or what they did the night before. This is a way to get them to know that I value what they say. I remind them each day that I am not here just to teach them but to love them as well. I show respect to them so they will understand that in order to get respect, you must show respect. At the end of the day we do a recap of our day. I ask them what they appreciated about the day and what they didn’t like. My goal is to help them feel that they are a valuable part of our classroom.
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In the beginning of the year each student answers some “get to know me” questions. I try to spend some time one on one with each student throughout the year on a project, lab, etc. which can give me the chance to ask more about those things they show an interest in. I might ask about a vacation I know they were on, an illness, a family member, etc.
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I always remember conversations I have with them, and follow up with them later on (ex: how did your big game go? how was that weekend trip you went on? etc).
