By Pam Clifton, West Francois Co. R-4
Some speculate that there has been significant learning loss for students as a result of COVID-19. But learning did not stop during the pandemic - it was disrupted and then resumed in new forms. Through online learning and gaining information through various digital platforms, students connected with their teachers in new ways.
However, not every student was able to communicate with their teachers due to not having internet access or devices readily available to them. For some students and their families, this lack of communication caused lost human connection. This problem is deeper than technology and it’s continuing to have a ripple effect across the nation.
Kids need schools for more than just academics. From bus drivers and nurses to principals and classroom teachers, these adults play an important role in students’ lives. This rapport helps to build a stronger community between schools, students and their families and communities. Building rapport is important between these groups because it encourages an overall positive learning environment and connection amongst them.
Building Rapport with Students
Students need to know their teachers care about them. Here are five tips to effectively and successfully build rapport with students:
1. Begin a conversation on a shared favorite topic. Focus on the student’s interest and genuinely listen to what he or she says.
2. They say a little humor goes a long way, so include laughter in class lessons. Share funny stories or tell random facts. Play a game together.
3. Ask and listen to stories about students’ families, interests, concerns and more. Remember the little details because those become big topics for students.
4. Be positive and compliment students on their accomplishments.
5. Encourage students to become involved in their school, from clubs and organizations to sports to events and activities. Attend their ballgames, competitions, awards banquets, etc. when you’re able.
Building Rapport with Families
Obviously, families play a crucial role in their students’ learning.
1. Include parents in class activities.
2. Share information with them through class newsletters, emails and texts by programs such as Remind.
3. Make positive phone calls to celebrate students’ successes in and outside of the classroom.
4. Invite parents to school events, make them feel welcome and involve them in activities when possible.
5. Create class assignments and projects to include parents.
Building Rapport with Communities
The connection between schools and communities is important. Here are things to consider when building rapport between them:
1. Community members are helpful contributors and supporters of schools. Invite them to help with fundraisers, school events and activities, volunteering opportunities and more.
2. Community organizations and businesses can offer programs to help students develop strengths and skills.
3. Teachers should help students make real-world connections. Think about associate lessons with local businesses and professionals, readers for story time and more.
4. Partnerships between schools, families and communities help improve academic outcomes for students.
5. Building rapport is necessary in establishing connections between students, families and communities. With the ongoing pandemic, how are school districts doing this?
Beth Ogden, a sixth-grade ELA teacher at North St. Francois County R-1, said that her school recently welcomed parents back to their building on a limited basis. Veterans were also invited to a special breakfast.
For building rapport with her students, Ogden gifted them with mini notebooks. She responds to students’ letters which they write to her and leave in their classroom mailbox.
“We are getting somewhat back to normal,” she said. “Students now have limited use of lockers, are switching classes again and are back to eating together in the cafeteria.”
Ogden has been teaching for 23 years and admits she has difficulties coping on some days. One thing that helps is their sixth-grade teaching teams have duty-free lunch time.
“We get 45 minutes to eat together, laugh and de-stress,” she said. “We are trying to get things back to normal as possible for students.”
Staff plan fun monthly rewards such a recent half-day schedule followed by Halloween parties and an hour-long dance party in their gymnasium.
“Teachers supervised and some of us may have busted a move or two,” she said.
Cheryl Ray-Layton agreed that rapport with students is important. She has been a teacher for 29 years at the Perry County School District.
“Teaching in our district since the COVID closures is different, partially because the students are different,” she said. “I am constantly reminding myself that the last ‘regular’ year of school for my freshmen was when they were in the sixth grade.”
She said they missed so much of their seventh and eighth-grade years “being in and out.” Not only have they missed curriculum, but students have had difficulty with school attendance. She said the students’ maturity level is also a reflection of lost class time.
“As teachers, we find that we are dealing with more and more mental health issues as well as things that go along with maturation such as responsibility and reliability,” Layton said.
Community members’ voices were heard last year when students were attending school on a hybrid schedule and instead wanted their children to attend school full-time. This direct involvement led to the school bringing students back to school daily during the second semester.
The Perry County School Board held openforum-type board meetings so the community could voice their concerns and offer suggestions on how to work together during the pandemic.
“I know many of them were frustrated, but many more felt their voices were heard,” Layton said.
As a high school English teacher, Ray-Layton builds rapport with her students by taking an interest in their in- and out-of-school activities.
The Perry County School District is located in a smaller community where teachers and students see one another outside of school, whether it’s at church, a local restaurant or even the county fair.
Ray-Layton knows most of the students’ parents and grandparents, so she often asks her students about their families. She talks to her students and is always honest with them when they ask questions. She also lets them get acquainted with her and her family.
“My kids know that I care about their success and that I want them to be their best,” she said. “It just takes some of them a little longer to realize these things than it does others, but that is the plight of teaching freshmen all day long.”
Like Ogden, Ray-Layton is feeling the stress of the profession. She currently has about 10 students absent each day and reaches out to them through Google Classroom. When students miss classes, they fall behind and become stressed by the amount of class work.
“They get behind and feel the stress of trying to stay caught up with all of their classes or they just don’t do the work and then are in danger of failing,” she said.
In addition, Ray-Layton spends a “great deal of time ‘re-teaching’ things that should have been mastered because the students are behind due to the closing of the school in 2019 and the hybrid schedule of 2020.”
She spends hours contacting students and their parents regarding late or missing assignments and “counseling” or helping students because they lack social skills she feels were lost, or never learned, due to the pandemic.
“They not only speak to one another rudely or disrespectfully, but they speak to the adults in the building that way and I truly believe it is a lack of socialization because of COVID,” said Ray-Layton. “Many of my students are also lacking in basic things like raising their hands to speak or waiting their turn.”
She said they have, in some instances, become “very demanding” and some days she goes home exhausted simply because she cannot meet all of their demands.
However, Ray-Layton receives enjoyment and satisfaction from helping her freshmen acclimate to high school life. She said their freshman year is full of many firsts: pep assemblies, homecoming, formal dances, dates and getting their driving permits. All of these activities and events are fun to watch the students grow.
Ray-Layton also loves finding new ways to present her lessons.
“It is thrilling to see them enjoy learning,” she said, “and I challenge myself to find ways to make English truly something they can enjoy.”
But she misses her students when they go home for the summer. Even though she knows they’ll stop in the hallways when they see her, it’s not the same. They move on, grow up and make their own way.
“As sad as that can be, it is also the most satisfying part of my profession,” she said.
The importance of establishing rapport
Although it might seem simple, building rapport is a significant step in creating relationships with students, their families and communities. This promotes positive interactions between schools and students as well as encourages their motivation and engagement in learning.
Learning is more than just books, paper and pencils. It’s more than lesson plans. It’s about building rapport between teachers and students, their families and communities because all students need to know they are valued and an integral part of class.