Just before Thanksgiving, out staff went to listen to a former teacher who had phenomenal success with his students on standardized tests. He had an interesting and fun presentation. One thing he said however, I have found myself thinking about over in the elapsed time.
He said the most important thing to do in teaching was to build rapport with your students. As he said it -"get them to the point where they will jump through fire for you." I think I have returned to this so often because in my heart, I believe it to be true. I am blown away by how hard kids will try for a teacher they love and care about.
Despite my efforts and my best intentions I have kids I fail to connect with. It breaks my heart. But I also have kids that will do any ting for me. They will give me everything they have simply because I ask them to. Even if they don't believe in themselves, they will try harder than any of us thought possible and achieve remarkable results.
I love that the most valuable thing I can do in my career is build relationships. On days that I don't have all the answers, or can't seem to get a point across, it is so wonderful to fall back on this knowledge.
