The Latest from VEA

1. Greet your students at the door.

当我的学生走进教室时，向他们打招呼是我每天做的最重要的事情——这确保了我们的第一次互动是积极的. Sometimes I congratulate them on an accomplishment or give them a compliment. Even if a student is having a tough time, a simple gesture like this conveys that today is a new day with a clean slate. This also helps gauge a student’s emotional well-being. If a student appears mentally off, 我知道我可能需要把他们拉到一边，或者根据学生的精力水平调整我的教学计划.

2. Learn your students’ names ASAP.

This is a simple way of making a positive first impression. As a child, I remember watching my father use class pictures from elementary schools in Amherst, 记住学生的名字和面孔，以便在他们上中学的第一天迎接他们. When I asked what he was doing, he told me he was just getting ready for the school year. Just by knowing his students’ names, sometimes before they even knew his, my father displayed how much he cared for his students as individuals. My current principal at Dominion High School in Sterling, Dr. 约翰·布鲁尔(John Brewer)将这一理念进一步发扬光大，他拜访了每位新生的家. Following in their footsteps, 在第一天开始之前，我也会花一些时间检查我的座位表，看看孩子们的照片, Googling the names I cannot pronounce.  在摇铃或晨会中加入“破冰”活动也能帮助学生了解彼此, which fosters a constructive classroom atmosphere.

3. Find time to talk to your kids one on one.

I try to talk to each of my students individually at least once every two weeks. I might sit with them while they are doing individual work, approach them in study hall, or talk with them during announcements. 它不需要是一个深入的对话——只是一个快速的签到就可以让老师们把这些关系带到更深的层次.  Additionally, 花时间在课外与学生交谈可以帮助老师了解如何激励他们, and may help them recognize more quickly when a student is in crisis.

Your students must know you like them and care about them. When I began my career in 1994, I just assumed my students knew I liked them as people. I quickly learned I had to be concrete and explicit about this.

4. Ask questions.

帮助学生找到他们自己的问题或问题的答案远比告诉他们该做什么更有力量. Sometimes kids just need empathy more than anything else, and a listening ear is the most important thing you can provide. If I pull a student out in the hall to help them redirect their behavior, I always start the conversation with a calm, “Are you OK?” It is amazing how disarming that simple question can make even the most upset kid. 通过提问，我引导学生培养自己解决问题的能力.

5. Find ways to praise kids

My niece, Katie Hicks-Matusevich, who is an elementary school teacher in the Richmond area, often uses incentives, such as stickers, to build relationships with her third-graders. 我已经开始为我的高中生准备这样的奖励，并将它们分发给做正确事情的孩子. My students love them and sometimes keep them on their laptops for the rest of the year. 我的侄女还建议通过只给予做正确事情的学生积极的关注来改变他们的行为. If one student is on their phone, 我会找另一个正在从事手头活动的人，给他们一张贴纸或称赞他们完成了工作. It is amazing to me how often that gets the students who are off-task to redirect their focus.

Another thing I do, too, 试着在学年的早期找出那些会成为挑战的学生，然后发现他们做得很好, thank them, and call their home. The parents’ initial trepidation on hearing from a teacher almost always turns to relief, then to happiness. 如果第一次互动是积极的，那么以后出现的任何问题都会变得更容易处理.

6. Always say “hi” to folks.

Often relationships start with a simple “Hi” and “How are you doing?” I make a point of greeting anyone I see at school, including students, secretaries, other teachers, or janitors. This is a simple, 简单的手势，为学生树立终身技能，增加建筑的正能量. It is also another way to take the pulse of how a student is doing. Sometimes I have students reply, “Not well Mr. Hicks,” which allows me to go into a deeper conversation about their mental needs. If you already know what might be bothering a student, 问他们一个具体的问题，或者提到你之前和他们的谈话. In other words, personalize the conversation—it does no good to just performatively ask how someone is doing. 我甚至没有在课堂上遇到过的学生在毕业后回到学校，告诉我我是大厅里的好老师.

7. Say thank you.

Like “hello,” “thank you” is so easy to say and a crucial modeling behavior. If a student is helping me clean up after class, I always make a point of looking them in the eye and saying, “I really appreciate that.” When I walk into the cafeteria after lunch to supervise study hall, 看门人通常还在打扫桌子，我总是特意帮忙. I also like to thank our secretaries and ask if they need any help. Being a secretary is one of the hardest, most crucial jobs at a school, 而且我总是愿意通过在大楼的另一部分跑腿来获得额外的步骤. 说“谢谢”或伸出援助之手是另一种向学生表达尊重的方式.

8. Ask for help.

If you do not know how to do something or see someone doing something well, ask for advice. It is human nature to attempt to figure out issues ourselves. However, this often slows us down and more importantly, eliminates an opportunity to allow others to be experts. Additionally, encouraging students to exhibit the same behavior fosters a positive classroom atmosphere. For example, technology is an area where students often have the edge over teachers. As part of my students’ research paper project, I require the students to make videos. I sometimes ask them to teach me how to use the video software, which boosts their self-esteem and teaches me about video production. 我也鼓励他们在技术上互相帮助，并问一些学生我是否可以用他们的工作作为课堂上的例子. I take a similar approach in my role as a department chair. Many of the techniques I use in my classroom come from observing other teachers. At department meetings, I will often ask a teacher to display a new technique, which not only saves time but allows teachers young and old to display what they do best.

9. Say you’re sorry if you mess up.

According to Allison Klien of Education Week, teachers make an average of 1,500 decisions a day. We are bound to make mistakes. I have apologized innumerable times. By modeling this behavior, which is crucial to improving students’ emotional intelligence, I find most students respect me for admitting my errors. 如果你意识到你可以用更好的方式处理这件事，那么第二天道歉并没有错.

10. Volunteer for extracurriculars.

Being a part of a student’s life outside of the classroom fosters and deepens relationships. You often do not have to be an expert. My first year of teaching, I asked the academic challenge/ scholastic bowl coach, whom I did not know well at the time, if she needed help. I knew next to nothing about academic challenge/scholastic bowl, 但布罗德朗高中已故的诺玛·博诺斯教会了我如何指导这项活动. It turned out to be an absolute blast and a great way to get to know the kids. A few years later, 我问学校的足球解说员是否需要一个看球员(告诉解说员谁拿球或谁铲球的人)。. Not only did I have something to talk about with the football players, dance team and band, but I also have made some of my best friends in teaching. 我非常喜欢这份工作，我自己也成为了一名播音员，在过去的20年里一直在做这份工作. Meeting your students outside of school does not even need to be at regular events. I have gone to Eagle Scout ceremonies, religious services, and sporting events. 每当有学生邀请我参加一些展示他们热情的活动时，我都会尽力参加.

Building relationships can be hard work. At the same time, 观察学生的成长和茁壮成长，因为他们达到了他们的潜力是教学的最大乐趣. 我经常想起已故民权偶像、最高法院大法官瑟古德·马歇尔(Thurgood Marshall)的话:“没有人能取得今天的成就，完全是靠自己的努力。. We got here because somebody—a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony, or a few nuns—bent down and helped us pick up our boots.” Helping students reach their goals is not happenstance and luck. It takes thoughtful planning. As teachers, we serve as role models and need to consider our actions carefully. 当一个毕业生拜访你，告诉你你对他们的生活产生了多大的影响时，没有什么比这更有成就感的了.

Steve Hicks, a member of the Loudoun Education Association, is a social sciences teacher and department chair at Dominion High School. He was named a finalist for the 2023 Washington Post Teacher of the Year Award.

Relationships Make It Happen!