R is for RAPPORT

Our book discussion is brought to you today by the letter R.

R is for Rapport. This statement from Dave Burgess resonates with my core belief as an educator:

No content standard matters to me until I have established the safe, supportive, and positive classroom environment I need to successfully teach my students. Any time I spend on the front end of the year to establish this environment is not time wasted. In fact, I know it will pay dividends a hundred times over before the end of the year.

Stop. Read it again. Are we doing this? Or do we allow ourselves to be locked to the pacing guide and curriculum calendar? We monitor and adjust for snow days, right? (When we're fortunate enough to have a snow day!) Then why can't we monitor and adjust at the beginning of the year to build the classroom environment necessary for learning to occur?!? First things first! We must earn the trust of our students by creating a safe and supportive environment where our students feel valued both in our classroom and at FJHS.

Building a positive rapport with students...

• greet your students at the door
• develop a classroom climate where students have fun learning
• engage your students
• fine tune transitions to maintain engagement
• interact with your students in the halls
  

What other suggestions would you add to the list above? How do you ensure your students are engaged? Engagement can be difficult when students are bored or overwhelmed. What are some ways you differentiate instruction?