What is the Teacher-Student Relationship and How does it Affect Students?

A positive teacher-student relationship is essential for quality teaching and student learning. Most students don’t know that the relationship between teacher and student is the best. They also don’t try to understand it, while others don’t care for it. In this teacher-student relationship guide, we have mentioned some points that will help you build a healthy relationship between teachers and students in the classroom.

What Do You Mean by the Teacher-Student Relationship?

In my view, the student-teacher relationship must be like a friendship where one person tries to understand the problems faced by the other and helps him to try to solve them. Teachers can also be like mothers who worry about their children and their studies, sorrows, problems, etc. A teacher who behaves like a mother will provide his students with love, attention, and special care. A teacher can also be considered a god who watches over his children’s activity and helps them correct their mistakes.

How to Build A Positive Teacher-Student Relationship?

It is straightforward to build a perfect teacher-student relationship after knowing each other appropriately. The only thing a student needs to have is trust, love, and respect for his teacher. It will also help if the student discusses all his problems, such as what troubles him or makes him unhappy. A teacher can surely do something to help. The student also shouldn’t try to hide anything from a teacher.

Learn each student’s name quickly

The teacher who calls each student by their name has more chances of building positive student-teacher relationships. The teacher can ask each student to come in front of the class and introduce themselves. This way, the teacher can focus on one student and get enough time to know them.

Learn some personal stuff about each student

It will help the teacher connect with the students on a personal level. The teacher can ask personal questions of the students while they are introducing themselves.

Teach with enthusiasm and keep a positive attitude

When a teacher teaches with enthusiasm and passion, it creates a positive environment in the classroom. It also makes the student comfortable around his teacher.

Conduct a discussion about any recent event

The teacher can conduct a debate in the class, during which no student can interrupt or disagree with another student while he is talking. This will teach the students the importance of listening and respecting others’ opinions.

Provide positive comments when needed

Appreciation is one of the primary factors in maintaining a positive teacher-student relationship. However, a teacher mustn’t overdo it, as it can spoil the kids. Appreciating students when necessary will also encourage them to study well.

Make learning fun

We all know and have realized as kids that it is easy to get distracted in the classroom, especially if it is boring. So, classroom sessions must be interactive and fun so that the students can stay engaged while learning.

Treat students with admiration and respect

Students can quickly become irritable and argue with their teachers as they enter higher classes. But they won’t behave this way if treated with passion, respect, and admiration.

Show care and support to each student

The teacher must not forget that a student can have personal issues (relating to his family). So, they must care for their feelings and support them whenever the student seems low or sad.

Avoid punishing or using ill-language

When a student misbehaves with the teacher or fellow students, the teacher should use a time-out method instead of giving them a harsh punishment or threatening language.

Stay unbiased

Some students may be easy for the teacher to like, while others can be somewhat challenging. Despite this, the teacher must not play favorites and give each student an equal opportunity to perform different tasks.

Teach supportive behavior among the students

A classroom can have different kids under the same roof, some coming from an economically rich background while others may have a little less of it. However, the teacher is responsible for teaching kids to accept each other’s differences and be supportive.

Laugh with the students

Humor is the best way to strengthen any bond, including the student and teacher relationship. The more a student laughs with his teacher, the less hesitant he becomes.

Create an environment where no one will hesitate to ask questions

When a student feels unable to answer any question or ask a question, he becomes more comfortable with his teacher. A teacher must encourage this behavior and appreciate it whenever a student asks for a more detailed explanation for any topic.

How A Positive Teacher-Student Relationship Benefits?

Surely, the student-teacher relationship can help the teacher in many ways. Having a healthy teacher and student relationship can free students from tensions, worries, etc. If students are so close with a teacher, they will indeed discuss their problems with her, and she will surely solve them. This way, a student can stay happy and away from tension. It will also motivate him to study well, as a teacher will always guide him on the right path. The following are some other benefits of having a positive student-teacher relationship –

Promotes academic success

A positive relationship between the teacher and student won’t alone help with academic success. But it can encourage the students to be more devotional to their studies and try harder to learn their subjects.

Develops self-worth in students

If a teacher appreciates his student for every effort he makes to learn, it will create a sense of self-worth in him. This is essential, especially for students with low economic status or learning difficulties.

Creates a thriving environment in the classroom

The teacher and student thrive when there is a positive environment in the school. They support each other to grow and develop an upbeat personality.

Avoid behavior problems

When a teacher and student show mutual respect towards each other, it is less likely for any student to cause disturbances during the teaching process. Instead, it creates a positive learning environment in the classroom.

Helps in professional growth

Positive student-teacher relationships will also help teachers to excel in the profession. It will help them in improving their interpersonal and professional skills.

How Can A Negative Teacher-Student Relationship Affect Students?

As discussed, the teacher plays an essential role in students’ emotional and mental development. A positive relationship will help students perform academically and build a bright future. In contrast, unhealthy relations will hurt students and can also hinder their social-emotional development.

Due to a lack of mutual respect, the classroom environment will also become hostile, and teachers may find themselves yelling and losing control over small issues. Student bullying can become a common occurrence in these damaging environments.

How to Create A Positive Teacher-Student Relationship with Challenging Students?

Develop positive discourse

Every classroom has that one difficult student who makes the teacher feel exhausted and yelling all the time. However, behaving in such a manner will not improve the student-teacher relationship here. The teacher has to be very patient while handling the problem child. Here’s how –

• Find some time to discuss with the student when he misbehaves positively.
• Appreciate the efforts whenever a problematic student does something right.
• Being patient with a challenging student who isn’t responding to any of the teacher’s requests may seem impossible initially. But it will improve the student’s behavior over time.

Make an effort to develop and sustain positive relationships.

A problematic student requires a lot of energy from the teacher’s side. To become closer, the teacher may have to spend some time with each student and understand their likes or dislikes. It can take some time for the challenging student to start trusting his teacher, but once he does, he will show less defiant behavior.

How A Teacher and Student Relationship Can Affect the Classroom Environment?

When a student and teacher relationship is healthy, it reflects a positive environment in the classroom. In contrast, an unhealthy relationship makes the classroom environment negative. A positive environment encourages students to grow and develop different social and emotional behaviors. These behaviors are essential because they help children handle life situations more confidently as they grow compared to other kids. These students also learn to support each other despite their differences.

An aggressive or challenging child is more likely to be accepted by his peers if he has a positive relationship with the teacher. However, the same student will find it difficult to adjust with his fellow students if he has a negative relationship with the teacher. A healthy student-teacher relationship can help develop positive social skills among the students. In simple words, developing even an individual positive relationship can benefit the whole class.

How to Cope Up with Stressors and Maintain A Positive Teacher-Student Relationship?

Students stressors

As students develop and grow, they may experience different stressors. Students moving to middle schools are often found to have low self-esteem plus declined motivation and academic performance. However, positive student-teacher relationships can offset these behaviors. Here’s how –

• • A student builds positive self-esteem and is less likely to become depressed in middle school if his teachers provide ample support and care in the class.
  • A middle school student will take more interest in the classroom and stay motivated if his teacher respects him and offers a nurturing environment to grow.

Teachers stressors

Some students can be very challenging and difficult for a teacher to handle. In this situation, it is easy for an educator to feel exhausted or burnout all the time. A mentally and physically exhausted educator can find it hard to sustain a healthy relationship with a student.

The school’s adult community can help teachers overcome this situation by providing mental support and encouragement. Communication and collaboration among educators and other school personnel can provide the needed social support to the teacher and renew his energy. A teacher who feels positive about his skills and abilities is more likely to create an encouraging classroom environment.

Who Can Help Us in Great Difficulty – A Teacher or A Best Friend?

In my opinion, a teacher can help students better in difficult situations than a best friend. When a student faces difficulty, a friend can only console him and can’t do anything more. In comparison, a teacher will stand with him and give proper guidance to face any problems. When a student gets advice from the teacher, he will automatically get the courage to face it. It will also strengthen teachers’ relationships with students.

How Can We See Our Teachers as Our Friends, God, and Guardians?

By discussing problems with a teacher, a student can see his teacher as his friend. His situations will surely make him unhappy, but a teacher can quickly solve them. As a result, the student will see his teacher as his friend. Additionally, it will improve the relationship between teacher and student.

A student can also think of his teacher as a god who watches over his activities and helps him whenever he gets stuck. The teacher sets the student on the right path by giving him valuable teachings. The teacher’s blessings also stay with us always.

Respecting teachers is also one of the essential aspects of building positive student-teacher relationships.

What is the Importance of A Positive Teacher-Student Relationship? (Summing-Up)

A healthy student-teacher relationship is essential to maintaining a positive classroom environment. This environment helps students develop social and emotional behaviors to cope with different situations they will face later in life. It will also help a student stay motivated to attend school and engage in learning activities. A healthy teacher-student relationship can have an overall positive effect on academics. In comparison, a negative teacher-student relationship can spoil the classroom environment and drastically affect the student’s development and academics.