How teachers can build relationships with their students

Written by: Liliana Teapila

Have you ever walked into a teachers room and thought to yourself this feels safe? Dimmed lights, positive posters, maybe calming music in the background. I have and I loved it there. School can be rough especially if you're dealing with personal issues. I want to introduce the art of teachers and how they can impact a student or students' life.

I've interviewed two teachers from my school. These are the tactics that they use to gain students' trust and to help them with problems students may have. They look for facial expressions, language, and demeanor. When they do notice that something is off, they try to pull them aside and ask if everything is okay.

Ms. Boocher said, “The biggest part about building trust is treating students with respect as young adults, speaking to them as young adults and holding them accountable.” Though she does make it clear that having a strong student teacher relationship is not a friendship. There comes boundaries within the relationship. As a student I love talking to my teachers but I know there's things you don’t say or act like when around them. It's almost like talking to a parent, knowing that it isn't a friendship but still able to have fun with them.

Strategies teachers use to create a safe environment is not tolerating nonsense, bullying or anything that makes students feel unsafe. Mr. Schell said his philosophy is “If students feel connected to you as a person, the learning comes much easier afterward.” Also making students feel seen as a whole person. This strategy can go a long way, some students would skip a class they don’t feel comfortable in, or they wouldn't do as good in that class because they aren't comfortable in there. Classrooms that do make you feel safe are much appreciated.

Let's talk about how the teachers' tactics have impacts on the students. I interviewed a student that graduated in 2024. I asked her ‘how did you know what teachers you could trust?’ Emily's response was “By observing how they treated students in class. Ms. Boocher who was patient, kind, and willing to listen, rather than a teacher that just showed up for the paycheck.” I could tell she was serious about that.

Some teachers really don’t care about your well being which makes students resent coming to class. Teachers who help students can change a student's perception of teachers. Helping them realize that they can support students in more ways than just academics. Teachers can play important roles in a student's overall well-being. The support students get can give them new experiences in learning how to talk about feeling and asking for guidance. It could also help them become more aware of their own well-being. Those experiences can really help them grow in adulthood, especially for students who didn’t grow up with that kind of support.

These types of experiences can also have an impact on the teacher's life as well. Mr Schell said “Those moments remind me why I wanted to teach.” Most teachers are here to help students become something in life and have meaningful experiences. Teachers gain the understanding of why it's important what they do.

Not just teachers too, even the other staff of the school get to bond with the students and guide them. For example, a coach can have a big impact on a student's life. Maybe a student didn’t feel comfortable with the teachers in the school but their coach is a different story. They both enjoy something that they can relate to. The coach could have become a coach because their coach inspired them to be a coach to help other athletes that were just like him. Everything that happens happened for a reason and those teachers became teachers so they could help students.

I hope this article inspires you to reach out for help or help struggling students. I want to spread mental health awareness to help people realize teachers are here to help you and do not be afraid to reach out for support.