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In what ways do you make your students feel valued?
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I try as much as possible to demonstrate care, respect, and recognition for my students’ individuality and contributions within and outside the four wall of classroom. I allow students to take ownership of their learning through group roles, presentations, or peer teaching. I show respect for their contributions by giving full attention when they speak. I use students’ input to shape discussions or projects, affirming that their perspectives matter. On a final note, I treat all students fairly and with respect, regardless of their background or abilities, reinforce that their value is not tied solely to academic performance but to who they are as individuals, and offer prayer as a way to support their challenges and celebrate their victories.
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I do my best to know what my students enjoy doing outside of the classroom. For many of them, this is sports and horse-back riding, but then there are some students who enjoy train building and mountain biking. When I get the opportunity, I try to ask them how these activities are going. I take prayer requests each week and together, with my homeroom, we pray together. This time is always beneficial to know what burdens my students are carrying and to model to them that we can lift these up to the Lord and lean on His grace to help us through difficult times. I do my best to follow up with my students after they have shared a prayer request to make sure they know that their teacher has not forgotten something difficult or even a good praise that occurred within their life!
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I greet my students warmly, with love and kindness, each morning. I let them know that I may not like their behavior, but I always like them, as a person. After discipline, I give my students grace for another chance, today is a new day. This is a new hour. Their next choice can be a good one, and our relationship isn’t continually adversarial. This has been an important feature of my teaching, which has been in Title I public schools with high levels of students with special ed, learning disabilities, major behavior problems, and so forth.
I let my students know that I love them, all of them. I have been glad to hear my students testify that I don’t have favorites in my class. I am glad, because, of course we all do have favorites, and those who are less favorite. But they could not tell! They all felt valued, praise God!
I help my low students and my high students to reach their potentials, even though administration almost always pressures me to only put my effort into the “bubble kids” who are just below passing that “all-important” (in admin’s eyes) state end-of-year test. When I run small groups I help everyone. When I tutor after school or teach Saturday school, anyone who wants to come is welcome, not just who admin wants me to work with.
I have also always provided things for my students with my own money, a subscription to Generation Genius, licenses for Handwriting Without Tears’ typing program, cursive instruction packets I bought on Teachers Pay Teachers and printed at home on my own paper with my own laser printer, and many, many other things. My students know I love them, I am for them, and they do feel valued.
In a serious lockdown with a shooter in the neighborhood (urban) going against the police I prayed in my classroom, just myself, and very fervently, in the name of Jesus. My students had a lot of questions about what would happen if a bad person got into the building. I explained procedures, and also explained that they would have to get through me first to get to them. I was sad to hear that other teachers had told them they would be on their own, and the teacher would not fight for them, or be willing to risk the teacher’s life to save them. How sad.
Yes, my students know that I love them and value them, even above my own life in a dangerous situation.
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I like to greet my students every day with a smile. I try to engage them in conversation either by asking them how they are doing, or congratulating on a win from a sport they are a part of. I try to make the classroom inviting as well with colors, Bible verses, etc. I even do a survey every day for the kids to participate in on the board.
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I make my students feel valued by taking the time to ask them how they are doing, ask how their weekend was, ask how their sports teams are performing, and then really listening to the answer. Kids like to know that their teachers listen ti them and respect what they’re learning have to say. I try to always give each student a chance to speak during our class period together, even if it isn’t subject matter related.