I agree that a relationship with the student makes a world of a difference. A lot of inner city students do not have guidance at home because they have an absentee father and a mother who works many hours. These students lack direction and structure. Or because of circumstances, they feel as if no one cares about them, and they have no one to be proud of their accomplishments. I know that my students beam when I put "good job" on their test with a shiny star sticker. And they collect these stickers as if they are badges of accomplishments. To them, if it seems like someone cares about them they care more about themselves, and they try harder to make their teacher and themselves proud.
By creating an environment where the student feels safe, connected, encouraged and accomplished can foster tools for the student to apply in different classes and aspects of their lives.
It takes a lot of time and effort on both the student and teacher to establish a relationship, and this is a necessary step. For students to trust a teacher with their academic vulnerability is very scary for them. And for a teacher to help develop their skills, they have to develop trust with the student. By letting the teacher in on their troubles with writing can they let their defenses down to be shaped into better writers.
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