Teacher Student Relationship Teaching Resources
Build a positive teacher student relationship this school year with teacher resources created by teachers to help you communicate effectively with your students and ensure they feel safe and comfortable communicating with you.
From printable forms that allow students to share their learning preferences with you to printable gift tags to celebrate student birthdays, this collection of teacher-created resources is packed with resources and ideas from our team of expert primary teachers.
Are you looking for fresh ideas and tips on how to build a positive teacher-student relationship? Read on for some advice from the experienced teachers of the Teach Starter team!
What Is a Teacher-Student Relationship and Why Does It Matter?
The name may say it all here, but let's probe a little deeper. Yes, this term refers to the refers to the dynamic and interaction between a teacher and a student.
But it's so much more than that! The relationship between you and each child is made up of communication, mutual understanding and the connections that have been established between the two parties. This relationship plays a crucial role in the learning process for your students and has a significant impact on everything from their academic performance to their engagement with your instruction to their overall well-being.
You've probably noticed this section of Teach Starter's vast collection of teaching resources falls under classroom management.
That's because a teacher-student relationship really sits at the heart of your classroom management planning. If you can't create a rapport with your students, the rest likely falls apart.
On the other hand, a teacher-student relationship that has been built up to ensure your students feel valued and heard in the classroom, as well as safe, can go a long, long way toward making the year a positive one for you both!
Just like any two people who spend time together, a teacher and a student need more than a shared amount of time and space to be successful. Here are just a few of the ways a solid teacher-student relationship will help you and your students:
- Increased student motivation — A student who feels cared for by a teacher and likes that teacher is more compelled to engage in class activities and individual work.
- Fewer absences — When students have a positive relationship with a teacher, studies show they are also more likely to attend school.
- Improved student trajectories — Connecting with your students now has been shown to positively impact both their current and future academic achievement, even years after leaving your classroom. It really does just take that one teacher to make a difference.
- Better teaching — It’s true! Studies show that teachers who have good relationships with their classes engage in more high-impact teaching practices.
So how do you make this happen? And what do you do if you hit a rocky patch with a student? Read on for tips on building and improving student relationships!
How to Build a Relationship With Your Students
The relationship between you and your students starts on the very first day of school when they walk into your classroom, and like most relationships we have in life, it takes work!
Here are some important things to remember:
- Respect must go both ways. Simply saying please and thank you, for example, shows you respect them as humans.
- Apologise when you make mistakes. It's a great way to role model the behaviour.
- Don't be afraid to have a little fun when it's appropriate. You are not their friend, but you are human!
- Show an interest in your students' personal lives. Ask about their pets, their netball match or even that video game fascination.
- Ask how their day is going or how their weekend went.
- LISTEN!
- Remember that children who misbehave are not (usually) doing it simply to make you angry. Look for the root cause, and seek help if you need it. Students will often struggle academically when they have unmet basic needs.
- Incorporate social emotional development into your instruction. This will help your students build their own relationship skills.
- Be consistent.
- Don't play favourites. You may have a favourite student on the inside, but students should never be able to tell.
- Differentiate instruction. It's something you should be doing anyway, but it is also part of showing students they are supported in your classroom.
- Find what's special about a student, and build on it.
- Institute a morning meeting to build a class community.
Even your classroom bulletin boards can play a role in building a positive relationship with your students.
How to Improve the Teacher Student Relationship
OK, but what if you're past that initial phase, and you and a particular child are not working well together? It happens. Sometimes you need a little help to get things back on track.
- Take time to reflect. We're certainly not saying it's all your fault, but it's important to sit back and reflect on what the relationship has been like so far to see if there are any ways you can improve how you approach the student.
- Seek the feedback of other members of the staff. Is there a counselor on staff who the child has seen? Do you have a co-teacher, or might the child's last teacher offer some advice? An outsider may give you a fresh perspective.
- Learn more about them, and use that information. You may find connection in the most unlikely places, such as a mutual love of pandas. Or you may find out that they are particularly talented at something that you can then foster.
- Talk to the child's carers. Having a collaborative relationship with parents or carers can help you identify where you might be able to improve the one you have with a student.
- Use positive reinforcement. When a child has only heard negative things out of a teacher's mouth — even if they were warranted — a fresh and positive approach can help reframe the relationship as well as their own feelings about themselves.
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Can You Save Fred? Activity
Can You Save Fred? Encourage teamwork and resilience with a fun, hands-on problem-solving and team-building STEM activity.
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All About Me Activity - Library of Learning About Me Craft
Get to know your students by building a library of “About Me” book stacks with a unique All About Me activity.
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When You Enter This Classroom - Door Display
Welcome your students into your classroom with a ‘When You Enter This Classroom” Student Affirmations Classroom Door Display
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Positive Affirmations for Kids — Classroom Display Cards
Print a set of 25 positive affirmations display cards for kids to use in your classroom.
- Free Plan
Student Interest Survey Pack
Use a Student Interest Survey to get to know your new students at the beginning of the school year.
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Ready Confetti - Student Gift Bag Tags
Calm your students' first-day jitters with bags of Back-to-School Ready Confetti topped with fun First Day of School poems.
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10 Reasons Why - End of Year Letter to Students
Strengthen connections and send your students off on summer vacation with an encouraging end-of-year letter to students.
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Emotional Self-Regulation – Student Mood Meter
Allow your students to communicate how they are feeling using a non-verbal, desk-sized mood meter.
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Emotional Awareness Face Template
Teach your students emotional awareness with this customisable face template perfect for lessons focused on social-emotional learning.
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Our Class is a Family Activity Flipbook
Start building a classroom community from day one with a printable ‘Our Class is a Family’ flipbook.
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ABC Behaviour Chart
Identify triggers for challenging student behaviour by tracking incidents over time using an ABC Behaviour Chart.
- Free Plan
All About Me Bag Activity Template
Get to know your students a bit better by having them create ‘All About Me’ Bags!
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Meet the Teacher - Get to Know You Game
Help your students get to know the teacher with a fun Get to Know You Game!
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Student End of Year Gift Tags - We Had a Ball This Year
Have a ball making your end of year gifts for students when you add special student gift tags to their gifts.
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Student Behaviour Contract Template
Create a classroom community and ensure adherence to rules and procedures with a printable Student Behaviour Contract Template.
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Back to School Treats - Student Gift Tags
Give your students a fun back-to-school gift tagged with one of these fun student gift tags!
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Meet The Teacher Scavenger Hunt
Make Parent Information Night a bit more fun with a Meet the Teacher Scavenger Hunt!
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Student Daily Check-In Template
Check in on your students' emotions each day with a printable emotions chart.
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Student Interest Survey - Early Years
Determine your students' interests with this survey for early years students.
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Learning Preference Worksheet
Learn your new students' likes and dislikes with this learning preference sheet.
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Student Gift Tags - Your Future's So Bright I Have to Wear Shades
Brighten your students' end of year with fun end of year student gifts adorned with a fun student gift tag!
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Brag Tags
Provide positive reinforcement for good behaviour and achievements with printable Brag Tags!
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Reading Preferences Survey
Help students gain a greater understanding of the books they like to read with this reading preferences survey.
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The More We Get Together Poster
Use “The More We Get Together” song to promote a sense of community and inclusivity in your classroom.
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Meet The Teachers - Template for Back to School BINGO!
Encourage your students to explore their new classroom and meet the teachers with a game of Bingo!
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Back to School - Family Survey
Promote parent involvement and get to know your students better with a beginning-of-the-year parent survey template.
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Meet The Teacher Postcard Templates
Use this Meet Your Teacher postcard template to prep your back-to-school letters and ease your students’ first-day jitters.
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Interest Inventory for Students – Reward Survey
Discover motivators and reinforcers that excite your students with this printable reward survey.
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Positive Notes for Students – Printable Templates and Tracker
Strengthen connections and celebrate achievements with this set of positive note templates.
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New Student Survival Flip Book Template
Be prepared for a new student any time of the year with a printable New Student Handbook template.
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Easter Appreciation Tags
A set of tags to show your appreciation of teachers, students and staff in the lead up to Easter.
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Student Interest Survey - Upper Years
Learn your students' interests on Day 1 of a new school year with this student interest survey for the upper years.