Corrie Waddell Blog# 6 Jan/Feb Bond with Your Students

The chapter Bond with Your Students was probably one of my favorite chapters. The author talks about how important it is to a child's education and development for teachers to get to know their students. I like how in the beginning the parent says "Look, you don't have to like my child, but you must bond with her if she is to learn anything at all! That is your job as a teacher". I agree with this parent we must show our students that we care about them if order for them to feel comfortable enough to learn. It's our job as teachers to provide optimum learning conditions for our students no matter how we feel about them. Every student that you get in your classroom isn't going to be that "perfect student" that does everything you say. In fact there may be more students who try to challenge your authority or do the opposite of what you may say. This is really where getting to know your students will benefit you as a teacher. It may also benefit your students as learners. I believe that in order to bond with your students you have to get to know them as learners. You must find out your student's interest and social norms. You then can use this knowledge to reach your students.  If your student likes dinosaurs then make an effort to find books on dinosaurs for your students to read. This may show them that you care. In my short experience as a teacher I have learned that if a student feels like you like them they become happier learners. I try to encourage my students by giving them positive reinforcements and kind words.

Initially in Pre-K we get to know our students in the beginning of the school year by going on home visits. This gives us a lot of background knowledge on our students that we can later use to bond with them. It gives us a glimpse of what their home lives are like, how many sibling they have, and how they interact with caregivers.  In my experience home life has a direct effect on school life. The home visits also gives us an open doorway to bonding emotionally with our students.  Even as the year has gone by my students still say "I remember when you came to my house". I then use this as a doorway to say that I remembered something about their house, a pet, or a sibling. This puts the biggest smile on their faces.

I end by saying I agree we must make a conscious effort to bond with each student. It is our duty as teachers to show our students that we care for them as people and as learners. We can do this by respecting our students, getting to know their interest, believing in them, and much more.