Building Positive Relationships in the Schooling Environment

Relationships are key to any student’s success and growth. Students are required to

manage relationships in a number of areas – at home with their parents, at school

with their friends and teachers and on the sports field. Stipek (2002), states that a key

aspect which can impact on whether a student has positive academic motivation and

engagement at school and at home is their sense of social relatedness at school. The

Covid-19 pandemic has had a notable impact on the mental and emotional well-being

of families as well as the development and sustainability of relationships.

Meador (2018), states that in order to maximise the potential of any student it is

important that positive and respectful relationships be developed with parents,

friends and teachers. Developing solid relationships are fundamental for a student to

become academically successful. However, building trusting relationships with the

various people in a student’s life can be both challenging and time-consuming.

Below are some strategies that Meador (2018) and the search-instiutte.org, suggest

can be used by teachers and parents to create positive relationships with

adolescents. These strategies include:

Providing Structure

Most young people respond positively to having structure in their classroom and in

their personal lives. Having structure allows young people to feel safe and contributes

to improved learning. Parents and teachers need to be consistent and follow through

when students overstep the boundaries that have been put in place.

Have a Positive Attitude

Everyone has terrible days including teachers and parents. We all go through

personal trials that can be difficult to handle. Teachers and parents should approach

their time with students each day with a positive approach. If the teacher or parent is

positive, the students will generally be positive. Who likes to be around someone who

is always negative?

Use Student Interests to Your Advantage

Every student has a passion for something. Teachers and parents should use the

interests and passions of students to their advantage. Once teachers are aware of

what their students are interested in, then creative ways to integrate these interests

into lessons can be identified. If parents are aware of what is of interest to their

children, they are able to have positive and engaging conversations regarding the

interests that their children are passionate about.

Treat Them With Respect

Young people will be unlikely to respect you if you do not respect them. Problems

should be dealt with individually, in a respectful, yet direct and authoritative manner.

You cannot play favourites. It is vital that teachers and parents are fair and consistent

when dealing with young people.

Good Communication With Teachers

Parents should have an open and respectful relationship with their children’s

teachers. In this way parents and teachers are able to in a collaborative manner in

order to support young people in their academic journey. If parents have any

concerns they should communicate this to the children’s teachers in order to get the

correct support from the teachers educating their children. Parents also benefit from

being involved in their children's education by getting ideas from their children’s

teachers on how to help and support their children, and by learning more about the

school's academic program and how it works.

Provide Support

Ask your teenager how they are feeling about the world, themselves, and the future

during the Covid-19 crisis. As parents and teachers show that you really hear them

when they respond and that you care about their feelings. Teenagers want to feel that

they are being heard and that their views are respected.

Expand Possibilities

As parents and teachers, we are able to assist teenagers to connect with people and

places which allow teenagers to broaden their world. This can be achieved through

being honest about an experience you as a parent or teacher have experienced that

was difficult when you were young and how this possibly shaped who you are as a

parent or teacher today. As a teacher or parent, you could ask your teenager to use

the Web or social media to explore how other teenagers from around the world are

experiencing and responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. Encourage a virtual chat or

text with other teenagers. This will allow your teen to feel connected and part of the

bigger world.

Good communication between families and schools is necessary for the academic

success of young people. Research indicates that the more parents and teachers

share relevant information with each other about a student, the better equipped both

will be to help that student achieve academically.

Nicola Pereira

Educational Psychologist

Crawford International Sandton College

Reference List:

Meador, D. (2018). Strategies for Teachers to Develop Positive Relationships With

Students. https://www.thoughtco.com/develop-positive-relationships-with-

students-3194339. [Accessed 31/01/2018]

Department of Education – Virginia (2002). Collaborative Family-School Relationships

for Children’s Learning. http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/student_family/family-

school_relationships/collaborative_family-school_relationships.pdf [Accessed:

31/01/2018]

American Federation of Teachers. (2007). Building Parent-Teacher Relationships.

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/building-parent-teacher-relationships [Accessed

31/01/2018]