Classroom scenario:

Miss Lee is the form tutor of a boy, Siu Ming. He is regarded as a bright and responsible student,

but Miss Lee has noticed that lately he has become quiet and has seemingly lost interest in

learning. Whenever he is asked about this, Siu Ming does not want to say much, and responds

listlessly, “I am fine. Maybe I have spent too much time on computer games at night”, but Miss

Lee doubts this explanation.

A plan of action to address Miss Lee’s situation;

As teachers, it is very important to build a positive relationship with your students. Your students

need to see that you are more than a teacher, you are also human with hobbies and interests.

Therefore, it is important to foster a healthy relationship, one where your students feel

comfortable enough to talk to you about anything. If Miss Lee has not already fostered a positive

relationship with Siu Ming, then she should start by doing that. Siu Ming might not feel

comfortable enough with his teacher, therefore not opening up and talking to Miss Lee.

Teachers need to foster a healthy relationship with students. According to (Higgs.C, 2013) “You

need to show students that you have time for them”. Students will open up more easily to a

teacher if they feel that the teacher cares for them and listens to them. Students need to feel

validated, that their voices and opinions are heard and matter. Teachers also need to make the

student feel comfortable in a particular situation like this, perhaps Siu Ming does not want to talk

with everybody in class on the spot, so Miss Lee can set up an appointment after class with

nobody else around, which will allow Siu Ming to feel more comfortable in his environment. If

Miss Lee goes out of her way to show that she has time for Siu Ming, then perhaps he will feel

ready to talk to her.

Another way to foster a healthy relationship that will potentially help address this situation

would be to show your students you are more than a teacher. Students have had many teachers

over the years and have obscure ideas about them. Many students do not want to talk to teachers

because they feel that teachers do not understand them or that teachers are “aliens” because they

cannot relate to them. These ideas stem from teachers not openly communicating with their

students and posing as a figure that students must just listen to. To withstand this, teachers can

open up about their life, it does not have to be your life story, but it can be something small like

telling your students what you did for the weekend, or what your hobbies and passions are.

Students will then be able to relate more to you the teacher and feel more comfortable knowing

that their teacher is not just some mindless figure. This further contributes to building a positive

relationship with your student.

If this problem has been persisting and Siu Ming does not want to talk to Miss Lee, then the next

step would be to involve the parents. It is decisive for teachers to foster healthy and positive

relationships with the students' parents. Before having a parent and teacher conference

scheduled, Miss Lee can find out from the parents how Siu Ming is doing at home. Some

examples include if he is doing his homework, is he sleeping well? Is he showing any signs of

irritation? Etc etc. It is important to deduce whether there are problems at home, at school, or

both. Miss Lee can keep in touch with his parents via email, class dojo, or any other platform

used in communication and stay in touch with his parents. This shows the parents that you are

committed and show interest in their ward. Miss Lee can inform the parents about Siu Ming’s

situation at school and then Miss Lee and the parents can strategize to devise a plan to help Siu

Ming. Parents can provide emotional support from home and Miss Lee can provide support at

school. If the problem keeps persisting, then Miss Lee, Siu Ming, and his parents can have a
meeting to address the situation. In situations like this, it is critical for students to feel as safe as

possible, valued, and heard. According to (Ohio State University, n.d) parents and teachers need

to be “nonjudgmental, be mindful, listen, and support the student at all times.”

In conclusion, it is unequivocally critical for teachers to nurture healthy relationships with both

students and parents. This positive relationship is conducive to creating an effective and efficient

classroom environment where students feel safe and secure. There are clear expectations from

students and parents, where all that is being done is contributing to creating the best possible

situation, one where students can thrive and get the best they can.

References

Higgs. C, (2013) ProQuest Ebook Central, Connecting with Students: Strategies for Building

Rapport with Urban Learners,p39 Retrieved on May 9, 2020, from https://cd21i9enj-mp02-y-

https-ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy.lirn.net/lib/univ-people-ebooks/reader.action?

docID=1582814&ppg=16

Hue, M., & Li, W. (2008). Classroom management: Creating a positive learning environment.

Hong Kong University Press.

Patel, R. S. (n.d.). Students in distress? Learn some signs & what you can do about it. Retrieved

October 21, 2020, from https://ucat.osu.edu/students-in-distress/