Importance of a Strong Student/Teacher Relationship in US Schools

School is a place to learn and that is the first thing that should be on the student and the teacher's minds when they enter the school building everyday. That isn't the only thing that can help to make a student more successful in school. A strong student/teacher relationship can make all the difference in how successful a student is. That doesn't mean that there has to be a personal relationship outside of school for the students and teachers, but if the two can have a good relationship within the walls of the school, there is a much better chance that the students can be reached.

It is the job of the students as well as the teachers to make sure that the relationship the two have is a good one. For instance, a student cannot have a good relationship with a teacher if the student is constantly giving the teacher a rough time about everything. The student needs to put forth the effort and care enough about him/herself in order to be successful. The teacher is just as responsible. A good teacher cares very much about the success of all students. We have all heard the saying about teacher's pet and that does still happen today. A teacher has to be certain that he/she finds a way to connect with all students, not just his/her favorites.

It is much harder to form a good student/teacher relationship when both parties aren't making the attempt to have a good relationship. Though there are excellent teachers in the school system, there are still those who don't take their jobs quite as seriously as they should. Teachers have to understand that everything they say and do will have an impact on a child's life and probably for the rest of their lives. Students need, in turn, to understand that a teacher can be pressured so much by students who won't cooperate that they give up on teaching and find other careers because teaching isn't what they thought it was going to be. You can lose a very good teacher just because you gave them a hard time. It doesn't make any sense that you would abandon your own school success just to ignore the rules. Unfortunately, you will be the one, as a student who pays for it in the long run.

I have seen good student/teacher relationships form and it has an amazing affect on the success of the students. When the student likes and respects the teacher, he/she will be more willing to learn from them. When a teacher likes and respects a student, he/she is more likely to get a positive response from the student and therefore will make the student more successful in his/her school career.

Teachers do have to maintain a certain amount of authority over the students in order to keep the classroom orderly. Teachers don't have to laud their authority over students as though it were the only thing that will get the students to respond. Authority should be respected and how will you be respected if you don't treat others with respect. You can certainly let the children know who is in charge without making them feel as though they are in a prison camp somewhere waiting to enter the gas chambers. That is far too much stress for a student to be successful.

Students should feel comfortable in coming to a teacher with any questions that they might have. It is one thing for a student not to listen in class and therefore fail miserably because of it. It is an entirely different thing for a student to have a hard time grasping the concepts you are trying to teach and the teacher who is not willing to further aid the student in understanding the material. That doesn't mean that you are obligated to help a student beyond the classroom. It simply means that a student who is slower at getting some concepts will suffer greatly if you aren't willing to give them a little extra help. A teacher is no more successful than his or her students are. If you find that many of your students are failing, it may behoove you to look at the possibility that your relationship with your students is sorely lacking.

Students should likewise look at whether it is most of the students who are having a problem or just themselves with the teacher. If it is just yourself, you may want to look at your attitude and make adjustments according so that you can have a good relationship with your teacher and find greater success in your schooling.

If students and teachers work together to form good relationships with each other, students will develop a lifelong thirst for learning while teachers will reap the benefits of knowing that they were a great influence, in the best way, for their students. Success is right at your fingertips whether you are a student or a teacher. Why not grasp it?