Four Easy Ways to Add the Personal Touch and Connect with the Disconnected Student

Debbie Willingham
Aug 25, 2008

Motivating students who are at risk of failure is one of the toughest jobs teachers have. Students who have already experienced failure often "turn off" to school and assume they cannot be successful before they ever try. While much of what leads students to become unmotivated is beyond the school's control, schools must accept the role of preparing children to be thinking, responsible adults who can make good choices in their lives and in their communities. While we may wish we did not need to take on that role, teachers really can make a huge difference in their students' attitudes about learning and school, based on the expectations they have for students. Teachers need to start the school year by assuring all their students that, despite any previous negative experiences in school, this year is a new year, and that, while they will be expected to work very hard, if they try their hardest to do their best they CAN be successful.

Some things are obvious; teachers should, of course, recognize students who may need to be seated in close proximity. Teachers must also be cognizant of students needing a little differentiating. Beyond that, what are some things teachers can do to motivate and connect with the disconnected student? Most important is the need for the personal touch. Some students need to know that there is someone watching, caring, and following up on what they are doing at school. They need a caring adult who checks up on them and checks in with them on a regular basis. This is true of all students from kindergarten students to seniors.

There are many ways to do it, but here are four easy ways to add a personal touch to the teacher's role. Sending a positive postcard or making a call to a parent for a positive reason are great ways to make students realize that the teacher really does want them to be successful. A good rule of thumb is two positive contacts per week, to different students on a semi-rotating basis. This serves several purposes; it lets the student know that the teacher knows who they are and cares about them as a person. It also sets a good tone in case later parents must be contacted for less than positive reasons. Acknowledging students' birthdays by posting them on a monthly calendar, bulletin board or calendar handout, then giving the birthday student a small token on their birthday (front of the line, pass to not answer a question when called on, etc.) are easy ways to let students know you care about them as a person. Giving "I'm Perfect" buttons or acknowledgement on a bulletin board for perfect attendance during a given period of time also lets students know you think it is important that they are with you each day and that you notice that they have made the effort to be present. Finally, "Adopt-a-Student" programs are used school-wide in a variety of ways. The idea is that every student has a caring adult who regularly talks to them, asks about them academically and personally, and follows up on how things are going with them. This ensures that students cannot be anonymous and slip between the cracks when problems arise academically or otherwise.

While these are just a few simple ways to connect with disconnected students, they are easy ways to start making inroads with every student. No matter what their personal baggage and battles happen to be, helping students to carry that load is part of what good teachers are all about.