How to Relate and Talk to Your Students

Your 6th grade Reading Classroom Coaching coordinators, Chris and Hannah, put together a great handout for the April volunteer and mentor coffee talk. Check it out below!


Meet them at their level – put yourself in their shoes

  • Get to know their interests and hobbies.  Some students have a different background than yours; respecting it is key. Crossing cultural barriers takes effort, but if you want to bridge distances it is important to remain patient and keep an open mind.

Be objective

  • Don’t take student behavior personally
  • Be aware of your reaction/response to the students

Don’t be afraid to laugh and admit mistakes—have a sense of humor!

  • Model that it’s ok to make mistakes
  • Utilize your sense of humor

Respect/Trust

  • Remember that to get respect, you have to give it
  • Building trust takes time and patience

Listen

  • Try to listen more than you talk
  • Accept that a student’s feelings are valid

Be consistent

  • It is much harder to relate to your students if you miss multiple classes
  • Be consistent week to week with group guidelines for behavior
  • Being inconsistent will cause you to lose students’ respect and attention

We hope you’ll join APIE staff, your teachers, and fellow volunteers and mentors for the end-of-year happy hour TODAY at Contigo Austin!


 

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