International Journal of Education and Social Science (IJESS)

The literature clearly articulates the importance of developing and nurturing constructive teacher-student relationships. Positive relationships between the student and teacher can lead to increased motivation and improved academic outcomes. Although educators face many demands associated with teaching and learning, the ongoing process of learning about students maintains priority. However, relationship building takes time and deliberate effort. Given the finite amount of instructional minutes, how are teachers to create a sense of connectedness with their students? In what ways can teachers gain meaningful knowledge of their students? How can teachers foster relationships with students whom may be disengaged or unmotivated? As the way forward, this article answers such questions by offering strategies to establish and maintain relationships with all students and families, regardless of socioeconomic status, culture, ability, gender, or language. Benefits of Quality Teacher-Student Relationships It is well known that teaching is both an art and science, and therefore begins with human interaction and relationship (Dewey, 1938; Marzano, 2007; O’Brien, 2010). The daily interactions teachers have with student’s impacts them socially, emotionally, and academically. Positive teacher-student relationships have been associated with better academic performance, student engagement, motivation (Marzano, 2003; Wilkins, 2014), and have particular impact on students with a low socioeconomic status and those transitioning from alternative schools (Bergin and Bergin, 2009; Powell & Marshall, 2011). However, benefits of positive teacher-student relationships are not solely for students. They predict greater organizational commitment for teachers, lower stress, and greater job satisfaction (Wilkins, 2014, p. 53). Teachers can also appreciate that positive classroom relationships can reduce discipline problems and assist in making the classroom run smoothly (Skiba, Ormiston, Martinez & Cummings, 2016, Wilkins, 2014; Thompson, 2015). Conversely, poor teacher-student relations can decrease a teacher’s commitment to the organization, adding to teacher attrition, which is disruptive to students and the school (Wilkins, 2014). Known Strategies for Building Teacher-Student Relationships While maintaining a positive classroom environment is critical to student learning, it is certainly not an easy task.