Do you know what phrases to say to your students to build deeper and more meaningful relationships in the classroom?
Being a kid is tough. The things our students hear in their daily lives can deeply affect them, just as what we are told affects us.
There are a lot of things working against our students each and every day. This makes it even more important that we provide a supportive atmosphere and build strong relationships with our students. We may be the only ones in their corner.
There are many things you say to your students every day, but are you including these phrases? The following five phrases are ones I believe we should say to our students every day!
You Make Me Proud
Do you say to your students, “You make me proud?”
This one is the perfect way to show your students you are proud of their hard work and you believe in them. There are many things to be proud of our students for, and each one will provide you with a different reason. Reasons may include working hard to achieve a goal, persistence to overcome a problem, or standing up for themselves or others.
Telling our students we are proud of them lets them know we are paying attention and appreciate their work.
I Love You
Every child should know that they are loved just for being them, no strings attached.
Do you tell your students you love them? Whether you tell the class as a whole or an individual student that you love and appreciate them it is something everyone should hear.
One of the most powerful things someone ever told me was that not only did they love me as a person, but they liked me and wanted to be around me all the time. Imagine the power that would hold with your students. Telling your students you love them as people and like that you get to spend every day with them is a big lift.
I Am Thankful For You
Is “I am thankful for you,” something you say to your students?
This one is a great way to tell students exactly what it is you appreciate about them. You might tell a student, “I am thankful for the way you always have a great attitude in the morning because mornings are tough for me and seeing your smile always make it better.”
The more specific you can be with your students about what you are thankful to them for the more it will hit home
with them and build your relationship.
You Help Me
Students help us to be our best each and every day. Whether they challenge us to practice our patience with difficult situations, make us rise to the occasion of finding a different way to teach a concept, or show us to see the world from a new angle they are helping us.
How often do you tell your students all the ways they help you every day?
Tell Me More
In the classroom, we often do the majority of the talking. This doesn’t always take into account what our students are thinking.
When we ask our students a question or they volunteer information instead of moving right along take the time to say, “Tell me more about that.”
In addition to giving students the stage and time to talk we can learn so much about our students with this simple phrase. Using these words we can determine misconceptions in the classroom. More importantly we can learn about our students’ lives and build up relationships.
I Challenge You
I challenge you to take these phrases back to your classroom. Use them to engage with your students and build your relationships to be more meaningful and deeper. Pick one phrase and sprinkle it around like glitter and then build in more as you feel comfortable.
For more classroom relationship building ideas check out this post.
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