Only 30 percent of freshmen and 35 percent of juniors felt like there was a teacher or adult at PHS who cared about them, according to Piedmont’s 2018 California Healthy Kids Survey. These results reveal a concerning lack of connection between students and teachers. The relationships between students and teachers are vital because they have a great influence over the trajectory of student success by providing comfortable, safe, and encouraging learning environments.
How can we raise these numbers? How can we build better student-teacher relationships? How about we start getting to know each other. Last year during a January faculty meeting, every student’s picture was placed around the room so that teachers could evaluate how well they know their students both inside and outside of the classroom. The teachers then made it their mission to reach out to the students that they did not know as well and establish better connections with them. Teachers are here not only to teach, but to listen to students’ ideas, problems, and stories. The administration encouraged all faculty to be more friendly and welcoming to students. So now, TPH encourages all students to do the same. Be friendly toward your teachers! Greet your teachers in the hallway. After class, ask them how they are doing. Allow for a connection between you and the adults in your life. Grades and letters of recommendation are only a small part of the relationship; the better part is that when you are genuinely engaged with a teacher, you have the opportunity to get so much more out of the class.
We acknowledge that both students and faculty need to put more effort into forging student-adult connections. And we acknowledge that there are valid reasons for the proposal of a School Resource Officer (SRO) on campus. But an SRO is not the solution to this problem. Having an armed police officer on campus might make many students uncomfortable, which would damage the supportive environment that our school is trying to improve. Rather than contributing to a feeling of community, it is possible that an SRO would only create more tension and anxiety amongst the student body, particularly in minority students.
We have engaging teachers that work hard to both teach us and connect with us. We have our counselors if we need to talk about scheduling or school matters. We have coaches who look out for us on and off the field. We have the Wellness Center, dedicated to the student body’s mental health, where students can talk with professional counselors. There are countless opportunities available on campus for students to connect with adults. Let’s take advantage of them.
