Tips for Building a Good Relationship

As a teacher, you have a building project of great importance before you—that of building a good relationship with each one of your students.

As with any construction project, a solid building requires a plan as a basis. A good relationship won’t just happen without any effort! It is going to take forethought and step-by-step development.

If you have the names of your new class a few weeks ahead of Promotion Sunday, you can begin the groundwork then. Start by learning the names of your students. Smile and greet them. Make a point to establish a preliminary contact so you are not a stranger the day they move into your class.

Observe the behavior of each student in a group. Do they seem to be leaders or followers? Are they active or reserved? Demonstrative or shy? Try to get some idea of the characters of the children even before they enter your class.

Once they enter your class, make an immediate effort to let them see that you care about them as individuals, and not just as one of the class. At a preschool or primary level, a class bulletin board featuring pictures of each child and something of interest about them will help them feel a part of the class.

Tell the children something about yourself. Help them see that you were once their age and enjoyed the same things they enjoy. If they want to tell you about their pet or their vacation or their house, listen attentively and then share something of like nature from your life. Let them see you are a person, as well as a teacher.

Every personal contact is a building block. Make a visit to each child’s home. Keep in touch by telephone and by mail. Mutual experiences are a real bridge.

Spend time individually with the children if at all possible. Listen to them. Seek to interpret and understand their needs and concerns. If they have problems, help them to see and understand those problems clearly, and then guide them toward a solution. Help them to make friends with other children and adults who can offer the type of support and fellowship they need.

Above all, remember your relationship with these children may be a key factor in helping them establish a relationship with Christ. That makes it of primary importance, and worth every effort, to develop this relationship. Pray for them and guide them as carefully and prayerfully toward Christian maturity as you would want a teacher to guide your own child.