Want to impact your students? Notice them and say something nice!

Want to impact your students?  Notice them and say something nice!

“Effective teaching is not a simple matter of executing specific behaviors and strategies, because effective teaching is grounded in human relationships” – Robert Marzano from Managing the Inner World of Teaching

I was recently approached by the parent of a former student from three years prior.  She paid me a compliment that I won’t soon forget. “That was really amazing when you wrote that thank you note to my daughter.  It’s actually still on our fridge and she still talks about it.”  I would occasionally wrote thank-you notes to select students who had either put in great effort, set positive examples, or excelled in my class.  These notes would say something like, “Dear student, Thank you for being such a great presence in my class.  I really appreciate that I can always count on you to bring your best every day.” Honestly, the practice of writing notes had become somewhat routine and I hadn’t thought much of it.  This encounter was a reminder of how powerful my words can be for a learner.  

Even for your most challenging students, there will be opportunities to report something good. All students can have good days, good moments, slight improvements or something bigger.  Take the time to let them know that you noticed.  If you aren’t a “thank-you-note” kind of person, send a message on their email or through your digital classroom, or call the student aside to let them know that you are thankful for them, that you pay attention to their successes, or that you care.  Doing so will cultivate teacher-student bonds and strengthen your learning partnerships.  For such a small investment you can reap such mammoth rewards. 

In the same way, positive communication with parents is one of the best practices you can implement. A quick email or phone call letting a parent know that their child did something wonderful only takes a moment. This is especially handy when you might have to contact that same parent later with negative news to report.  By that time, the parent already has had a positive first interaction with you and knows that you care about their child. Similar to positive notes or conversations with your students, positive parent contacts are a small investment of time that can generate a sizable return on investment.

My thank-you notes took just a few seconds to write and I needed to be reminded of how powerful they were.  To at least one student, it meant the world.  It is likely to have had similar effects on other students as well.  I needed to be reminded of that.  Teachers, you are hereby reminded as well.  Pick up the pen, the phone, or the keyboard and let a student know that you care.  And while you’re at it, let their parents know, too.