This article explores the benefits of strong teacher and student relationships, an overlooked and understated teaching tool that can have huge benefits for students' wellbeing, progress and achievement.
In a world that is becoming ever so distracted by the magnanimous rise of technology, it is important to focus on the meaningful connections we make everyday; as teachers it is our responsibility to ensure we make the art of creating strong relationships the most important skill we nurture in others.
We under-estimate the power of the relationships we create in a school community and the subtle reassurance it brings. For many students, school is a safety net where they belong and feel secure in the day-to-day routines. Belonging can be defined as a feeling that you are part of your surrounding systems, such as school and work environments (Hagerty et al) and it has a huge influence over the quality of your life, health, education and happiness.
Classroom relationships
As teachers at the start of each academic year, it is natural to feel nervous before meeting new classes for the first time. We try to gauge what the classroom climate will be like, what these new relationships will look, sound and feel like. Teachers are humans and we are not absent of prejudice; this is what we need to be vigilant of when meeting new students. We need to be mindful about predicting how students will behave based on what they were like the previous year or what colleagues have said or experienced themselves. I have learnt over time to press the re-set button and not judge a book by its cover. If we want young minds to flourish then we must give them space to learn and not label them.
Why is it useful to think about the classroom climate? Because at the crux of everything, teacher-student relationships are the key to excellent teaching and learning and the classroom environment needs to feel good in order for students to want to learn and to feel that they are valued. ‘No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship’ (Comer). This is not rocket science; it is what every teacher knows but it is easy to forget how much this actually matters in the midst of marking, data reporting and replying to a stream of emails. Positive student- teacher relationships have a huge impact on academic achievement, students’ progress and motivation – especially for the most disadvantaged students that we teach (Rowland).
Central to this is becoming an expert of your students. Knowing if they play an instrument, support a particular team or have a baby sibling on the way. Knowing that they are better off sitting near the front of the classroom, or that they need the support of a dictionary in their own language – or if they need to be seated directly near your desk. With a piece of blu-tac to help them concentrate. The knowledge that teachers have of students and setting up classrooms effectively is powerful in building up mutual respect and strong relationships (Shulman).
For me, it is the power of the everyday: as an English teacher, I know I am in a lucky position that I see classes a few times a week [sometimes everyday] and it is easier to build up a positive rapport with students and informally check in with them. The solid routine of greetings at the door and the everyday face-to-face interactions allow for changes in body language, tone of voice and mood easier to spot (Cowley). Also, reading is at the heart of English and really allows students to share their thoughts and feelings. Bonds of trust are formed through stories. The texts that we teach in the senior school, like in so many others, lend themselves well to talking about social and emotional issues as well as key feelings to do with empathy and understanding. I love teaching Priestley’s An Inspector Calls where a discussion on social responsibility always leads to a hot debate on blame, actions and consequences. Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth is a perfect way to talk about right and wrong, good and evil and how to deal with pressure and guilt.
Three is the magic number
Teacher-student relationships can be seen as triadic. Researchers say that this involves the teacher, the student and the third element – the curriculum. A strong relationship is a tool that helps students understand how to connect to the content (Stembridge). For me, it is the ability (and the challenge!) in inspiring students to see the value and the purpose in studying English Language and Literature, to make the learning relevant to their lives – to be curious about wanting to know more. The Hechinger Report says that ‘You can’t get into the content of the relationship if the social-emotional wellbeing piece is not being attended to first’.
The values of IB schools are central to this: its mission statement includes ‘developing inquiring, knowledgeable and caring individuals who help create a better, more peaceful world through education.’
For new teachers, this can be a skill that takes time to hone. ITT courses may deal with the essentials of being a teacher in class, but do they do enough to instil the core value of empathy in our young learners? (Cowley)
Setting clear expectations and having high expectations of all your students is integral to this; Sylvia Plath once said ‘If you expect nothing from somebody, you are never disappointed.’ Set routines allow for everyone to know the boundaries and creates a sense of safety. This is incredibly important if such routines or boundaries do not exist at home. Post covid, the return to school, as I remember hazily, was a mixture of nerves but also joy – to actually teach face to face was a forgotten privilege. I am the first one to say I do not miss questioning students in an online lesson to a sea of blank screens and muted microphones!
Where conflict arises:
Taken from his research in the Harvard Study, Waldinger says that it is not the absence of conflict that characterises strong relationships, but how conflict is dealt with. The following may be helpful:
Over the years, I have learnt the vital lesson that every day is a new day. It is good to establish a fresh start where conflict has arisen. With all of your students, make eye contact and remember names quickly at the start of term. Refer to something that they worked on well in a previous lesson or a question they answered well to show that you do not forget.
At a time where it is so easy to become disconnected and distracted from endless apps, shorts, memes and emails, these foundations and core values will instil a sense of creating strong and lasting relationships in students, which will no doubt have a ripple effect on other relationships.
It’s the tiny threads we weave every day that become the rich tapestry of our relationships.
Reference List
Comer, J. ‘Schools that develop children.’ The American Prospect, 2001.
Cowley, Andrew. The Wellbeing Toolkit, Bloomsbury, 2019
Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). Teaching and Learning Toolkit. EEF, 2021.
Hagerty, B.M. Williams, R.A., & Oe, H. ‘Childhood Antecedents of Adult Sense of Belonging.’ Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2002.
Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar, Faber & Faber, 2005.
Rowland, Marc. ‘Making the Difference for disadvantaged Pupils’, Durrington Research School, 11 Dec 2020, West Sussex.
The Chartered College of Teaching. ‘Improving Outcomes for Disadvantaged Learners, with Marc Rowland’ The Chartered College of Teaching, 2022 https://my.chartered.college/event/improving-outcomes-for-disadvantaged-learners-with-marc-rowland/
The Chartered College of Teaching, ‘Developing Effective Teacher- Student Relationships: Learning from the Experts’ The Chartered College of Teaching, 2022. https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/developing-effective-teacher-student-relationships-learning-from-the-experts/
Waldinger, Bob. ‘Nurturing Relationships as a Foundation of Wellbeing: Lessons from Lifespan Research’. Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, 2025. https://centreforearlychildhood.org/news-insights/guest-essays/nurturing-relationships-foundation-of-wellbeing/
Sakera Haque is an English teacher at NLCS Dubai with over 17 years teaching experience. After graduating with a BA in English and PGCE in Secondary English from the University of Sussex, she has enjoyed several management positions within an English department in the UK, including Head of English. Before moving to Dubai, Sakera was an Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for Pupil Premium. Sakera has recently become a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching.
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