Discussion 1 An important step in preparing our classrooms and curriculum is getting to know our students as individuals and building a relationship that is reciprocal and characterized by trust. Jaruszewicz (2013) discusses the importance of building individual connections, stating that Building trust requires connecting with each child on a personal level, so that they know you care about them and what happens to them, are curious about what they think, and firm with them when they need guidance. These things give children the emotional security they need to share with you their impressions, confidences, questions, and fears—information you can use to develop, adapt, and personalize whatever curriculum you use to best represent what your children know and do. (Jaruszewicz, 2013, section 3.3, para. 32) Notice how Jaruszewicz emphasizes that knowing the students as individuals allows for designing individualized curriculum which is more aligned with their needs. In this discussion, we explore the importance of building trust with students to gain insights into how to best meet their needs in an education environment. Initial Post: After reading Chapter 3 of your text, the Tips for Developing Positive Teacher Student Relationships article, and the Reciprocal Relationships article  · Discuss one or more strategies you will use to gather information on your students in an effort to get to know them and their family (interest inventory, home visit, etc.). Include the benefits of the strategy and use a specific example of how you plan to implement it in your classroom. · Reflect on the reading, “Tips for Developing Positive Teacher Student Relationships.” Discuss two approaches you will use to build trust with each of your students and why you believe these approaches will be effective. · Reflect on the reading, “Reciprocal Relationships.” Discuss two approaches you will use to build trust with families and why you believe these approaches will be effective. · Discuss one or more strategies you can use to prepare your classroom to represent the students, such as through a family bulletin board or a community college. Support your strategies with the text and at least one scholarly resource. The best teachers are capable of maximizing the learning potential of every student in their class. They understand that the key to unlocking student potential is by developing positive, respectful relationships with their students beginning on the first day of the school year. Building a trusting relationship with your students can be both challenging and time consuming. Great teachers become masters at it in time. They will tell you that developing solid relationships with your students is paramount in fostering academic success. It is essential that you earn your students’ trust early on in the year. A trusting classroom with mutual respect is a thriving classroom complete with active, engaging learning opportunities. Some teachers are more natural at.

1. Discussion 1
An important step in preparing our classrooms and curriculum is
getting to know our students as individuals and building a
relationship that is reciprocal and characterized by trust.
Jaruszewicz (2013) discusses the importance of building
individual connections, stating that
Building trust requires connecting with each child on a personal
level, so that they know you care about them and what happens
to them, are curious about what they think, and firm with them
when they need guidance. These things give children the
emotional security they need to share with you their
impressions, confidences, questions, and fears—information you
can use to develop, adapt, and personalize whatever curriculum
you use to best represent what your children know and do.
(Jaruszewicz, 2013, section 3.3, para. 32)
Notice how Jaruszewicz emphasizes that knowing the students
as individuals allows for designing individualized curriculum
which is more aligned with their needs. In this discussion, we
explore the importance of building trust with students to gain
insights into how to best meet their needs in an education
environment.
Initial Post: After reading Chapter 3 of your text, the Tips for
Developing Positive Teacher Student Relationships article, and
the Reciprocal Relationships article
· Discuss one or more strategies you will use to gather
information on your students in an effort to get to know them
and their family (interest inventory, home visit, etc.). Include
the benefits of the strategy and use a specific example of how
you plan to implement it in your classroom.

2. · Reflect on the reading, “Tips for Developing Positive Teacher
Student Relationships.” Discuss two approaches you will use to
build trust with each of your students and why you believe these
approaches will be effective.
· Reflect on the reading, “Reciprocal Relationships.” Discuss
two approaches you will use to build trust with families and
why you believe these approaches will be effective.
· Discuss one or more strategies you can use to prepare your
classroom to represent the students, such as through a family
bulletin board or a community college. Support your strategies
with the text and at least one scholarly resource.
The best teachers are capable of maximizing the learning
potential of every student in their class. They understand that
the key to unlocking student potential is by developing positive,
respectful relationships with their students beginning on the
first day of the school year. Building a trusting relationship
with your students can be both challenging and time
consuming. Great teachers become masters at it in time. They
will tell you that developing solid relationships with your
students is paramount in fostering academic success.
It is essential that you earn your students’ trust early on in the
year. A trusting classroom with mutual respect is a thriving
classroom complete with active, engaging learning
opportunities. Some teachers are more natural at building and
sustaining positive relationships with their students than others.
However, most teachers can overcome a deficiency in this area
by implementing a few simple strategies into their classroom on
a daily basis.
· Provide Structure – Most kids respond positively to
having structure in their classroom. It makes them feel safe and
leads to increased learning. Teachers who lack structure not
only lose valuable instructional time but often never gain the
respect of their students. It is essential that teachers set the tone
early by establishing clear expectations and practicing class

3. procedures. It is equally critical that students see that you
follow through when boundaries are overstepped. Finally, a
structured classroom is one with minimal downtime. Each day
should be loaded with engaging learning activities with little to
no downtime.
· Teach with Enthusiasm and Passion – Students will respond
positively when a teacher is enthusiastic and passionate about
the content they are teaching. Excitement is contagious! When a
teacher introduces new content enthusiastically, students will
buy in. They will get just as excited as the teacher, thus
translating to increased learning. Exuberance will rub off on the
students in your classroom when you are passionate about the
content you teach. If you are not excited, why should your
students be excited?
· Have a Positive Attitude – Everyone has terrible days
including teachers. We all go through personal trials that can be
difficult to handle. It is essential that your personal issues do
not interfere with your ability to teach. Teachers should
approach their class each day with a positive attitude. Positivity
is transcending. If the teacher is positive, the students will
generally be positive. Who likes to be around someone that is
always negative? Students will in time have resentment for a
teacher who is always negative. However, they will run through
a wall for a teacher is positive and continuously offering praise.
· Incorporate Humor into Lessons – Teaching and learning
should not be boring. Most people love to laugh. Teachers
should incorporate humor into their daily lessons. This may be
sharing an appropriate joke related to the content you will be
teaching that day. It may be getting into character and donning
a silly costume for a lesson. It may be laughing at yourself
when you make a silly mistake. Humor comes in several forms
and students will respond to it. They will enjoy coming to your
class because they love to laugh and learn.
· Make Learning Fun – Learning should be fun and exciting.
Nobody wants to spend time in a classroom where lecturing and
note-taking are the norms. Students love creative, engaging

4. lessons that grab their attention and allow them to take
ownership in the learning process. Students enjoy hands-
on, kinesthetic learning activities where they can learn by
doing. They are enthusiastic about technology-based lessons
that are both active and visual. Students love teachers who
incorporate creative, fun, engaging activities into their daily
classroom.
· Use Student Interests to Your Advantage – Every student has a
passion for something. Teachers should use these interests and
passions to their advantage by incorporating them into their
lessons. Student surveys are a fantastic way to measure these
interests. Once you know what your class is interested in, you
have to find creative ways to integrate them into your lessons.
Teachers who take the time to do this will see increased
participation, higher involvement, and an overall increase in
learning. Students will appreciate the extra effort you have
made to include their interest in the learning process.
· Incorporate Story Telling into Lessons – Everyone loves a
compelling story. Stories allow students to make real-life
connections to the concepts that you are learning. Telling
stories to introduce or reinforce concepts bring those concepts
to life. It takes the monotony out of learning rote facts. It keeps
students interested in learning. It is especially powerful when
you can tell a personal story related to a concept being taught.
A good story will allow students to make connections that they
may not have made otherwise.
· Show an Interest in Their Lives Outside of School – It is
necessary to understand that your students have lives away from
your classroom. Talk to them about their interests
andextracurricular activities that they participate in. Take an
interest in their interests even if you do not share the same
passion. Attend a few ball games or extracurricular activities to
show your support. Encourage your students to take their
passions and interests and to turn them into a career. Finally, be
considerate when assigning homework. Think about the extra-
curricular activities occurring on that particular day and try not

5. to overburden your students.
· Treat Them With Respect – Your students will never respect
you if you do not respect them. You should never yell, use
sarcasm, single a student out, or attempt to embarrass them.
Those things will lead to a loss of respect from the entire class.
Teachers should handle situations professionally. You should
deal with problems individually, in a respectful, yet direct and
authoritative manner. Teachers must treat each student the
same. You cannot play favorites. The same set of rules must
apply to all students. It is also vital that a teacher is fair and
consistent when dealing with students.
· Go the Extra Mile – Some students need teachers who will go
that extra mile to ensure that they are successful. Some teachers
provide extra tutoring on their own time before and/or after
school for struggling students. They put together extra work
packets, communicate with parents more frequently, and take a
genuine interest in the well-being of the student. Going the
extra mile may mean donating clothing, shoes, food, or other
household goods that a family needs to survive. It may be
continuing to work with a student even after they are no longer
in your classroom. It is about recognizing and assisting in
meeting student needs inside and outside of the classroom.
Home > Reciprocal Relationships
Reciprocal Relationships
Principles of Effective Practice
Principle 3: Programs and teachers engage families in ways that
are truly reciprocal
What it means: Teachers seek information about children’s
lives, families, and communities and integrate this information
into their curriculum and instructional practices. Programs help
families share their unique knowledge and skills and encourage

6. active participation in the life of the school.
Programs that effectively engage families invite them to apply
their knowledge and skills to classroom projects and school-
wide events. Two of the 15 recognized programs are parent co-
ops (Rainbow School and Sunnyside Child Care Center at
Smith) in which families are truly essential to program
operation. However, every participating program has created a
culture in which families regularly share their talents. They use
methods such as the following.
Gathering Information. Programs actively seek information
about the families they serve to build relationships with and
among families. At enrollment or when entering a new
classroom, parents complete getting-to-know-you forms and/or
inventories of their skills, interests, and talents. Staff members
then use this information about the children’s lives, families,
and communities to enhance the curriculum and to identify
opportunities for parent participation.
Other ways to get to know families include
· publishing a family directory at the beginning of the year to
help families learn one another’s names and to encourage
parents to connect with each other outside of school for play
dates and birthday parties.
· implementing classroom switch days. According to Jim Clay,
director of School for Friends, “Teachers find these days so
valuable to get to know the children in another classroom,
exchange ideas with other teachers, and visit with children they
have taught in the past or with children they will teach in the
future.” Teachers also get to know other families or see familiar
families again during drop-off and pickup times.
Providing Information. Offering a list of tasks, ideas, and
opportunities is another way to guide and encourage families to
participate in the program. Thoughtful staff efforts ensure that
family skills and talents are well matched with the program’s
needs. For example, when it is time to plant a garden, a program
can call on parents with knowledge about plants.
Programs can also build relationships by sharing information

7. about staff with families. Some ways programs accomplish this
include
· posting staff photographs and brief biographies on websites or
bulletin boards
· providing staff updates (new hires, departures, marriages,
births, degrees obtained, trainings attended, vacation dates,
substitutes, and so forth) in newsletters
All of this information supports an active and engaging program
that includes structured and unstructured, formal and informal
participation in the curriculum and social events.
Structured Family Participation. Some programs invite families
to share their culture, skills, and talents through more structured
events. The Family of the Week activity at School for
Friendsintegrates information about families’ lives and
communities into the classroom schedule and environment (for
example, through books, toys, and dramatic play).
Grandparent/Grandfriend Day atMontgomery County
Community College Children’s Center and Grandfolks’ and
Special Friends’ Day at The Family Schoolsstrengthen
connections between generations as well as between the families
and program. Grandparents sometimes plan their schedules so
they can attend these special days. It’s important to note that
some programs and families prefer structured activities, while
others are more comfortable with informal and social activities.
Social Events. Each program hosts a variety of events to bring
families together including
· regular potluck meals
· sing-alongs
· festivals and celebrations, often incorporating families’
cultural heritage
· family fun nights
· parent coffees
· Week of the Young Child™ events
· community days/open houses
It is more important for programs to provide activities for
families than to fret over what those activities should be. Given

8. a variety of opportunities—formal and informal, curriculum
related or purely social—families are likely to participate. As
Diane Bellem, vice president of the Georgia Training Institute,
which is part of Sheltering Arms, explains, “By having a
number of activities, both simple and elaborate, parents have
multiple opportunities to contribute.”
Developed for NAEYC's Engaging Diverse Families Project
through a generous grant from the Picower Foundation.
© National Association for the Education of Young Children.