Five Easy Ways to Connect with Students
by H. RICHARD MILNER IV
Teachers are viewed as second parents of students and in order for them to get along, teachers must have a knowledge on how they can connect with their students. From a study of Richard Milner IV, he pointed out five easy ways for the teachers to connect with their students.
He stated that it is important for educators to see the good and the worth of every student. He/ she must give value to those characteristics and attributes of students that are unappreciated and overlooked. They must be prepared when their students show these abilities even in an unexpected situations.
He first pointed out that teachers must give time to talk to their students. He suggested that if an educator found out that a student had a particular interest on some aspect of education, he/ she can share his own knowledge about it or could share some books or writing of the same aspect. I very much agree on this because it can be a natural way on making a teacher-student relationship.
Next, he suggested to give assignment that could make them share about their interest. It is important to give them works like this. Not only it is an easy task for them but it could also help them open up easily.
The next thing that he pointed out is that teachers must give their students time to speak their mind. A teacher-student relationship is a give-and-take relationship. Teachers must not be the only one speaking in the class. Students must be given time to participate in a recitation or they must be given the opportunity to present a particular topic or have a debate among them. Also, according to Milner, it is important for teachers to show some support for their students. It is not new that there are some students that do not have a strong bond with their parents. In this case, a teacher showing support to their students could make a big difference in how they see their teachers and how they respect them. Furthermore, it also gives them some confidence.