Maya Angelou once shared, “I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers help teachers find ways to connect and show they care on a daily basis. Class meetings, giving individual students a few minutes of your time after school (special time), connection before correction, and many other Positive Discipline tools help students feel a sense of belonging, a fundamental need and crucial for student success.
A strong sense of connection at school is directly related to increased academic performance, a decrease in dropout rates, and regular school attendance. Dr. Kathryn Wentzel at the University of Maryland examined adolescents’ relationships with their teachers, parents, and peers. In her sample of 167 sixth-grade students, teacher support was a positive predictor of motivation at school and class related interest. Social responsibility and goal pursuit were also positively related to a caring teacher-student relationship.
Make sure the message of caring gets through.
- During a faculty meeting, brainstorm ways to show students you care. Examples: smile, greet at door, spend special time, and/or address the belief behind the behavior.
- Create a copy of the list for each teacher to keep on his or her desk.
- Check the list often for ways to show you care on a daily basis.
- Put a check after each student’s name to make sure everyone individually experiences your caring.
- Have your students create a list of ways they can show they care about each other.
- All the tools in this deck are examples of caring.
All of our Positive Discipline Tool Cards are available in our deck of cards and now available as an app for iPhone and Android.
