“And we know why kids drop out.

  We know why kids don't learn.  It's either poverty, low

attendance,  negative peer influences...  We know why.”

 Which of these things do you think has the biggest impact on dropout rates?

The biggest impact on dropout rates I think it is negative peer influences. Relationships
with our classmates are very important and if they are bad, they often cause them to
drop out of school.

 What can be done to help?

We can help by doing by listening and asking how the feel within the class group and
with the school in general. Let there be concern for them, let them be given the
importance they deserve for themselves and their personal situations.

“James Comer says that no significant learning  can occur without a significant relationship.”

“George Washington Carver says: 'all learning  is understanding relationships.’”

 What is your interpretation of these quotes?

My interpretation of these quotes is that they are very right. Significant relationships
we make during our lives are very important because if they are good, they are a big
part of our school success.

 Do you agree with them?

Yes, I totally agree because I consider that the relationships between peers and the
teacher-students are very important as they help us to give greater and better
meaning to our knowledge and learning. It is important that the teacher intends to
have a good relationship with his students.
“A colleague said to me one time,  ’They don't pay me to like the kids.  They pay me to teach
a lesson.  The kids should learn it.  I should teach it, they should learn it. Case closed.’

Well, I said to her,  ’You know, kids don't learn from people they don't like.’”

 Do you think students have to like their teachers to learn from them?

Yes, of course. I totally agree and I also think it is very necessary that students like how
their teacher is and how they treat them. Teachers are the model to follow during
their learning process so only if they like that type of teacher, they will see it as such.

 In your opinion, what role do relationships play in learning?

I think that the teacher-student relationship is the foundation for leaving a mark on
the learning process students. If there is a good relationship, students show more
interest in everything the teacher teaches them, so they end up taking it as a reference
and end up applying things that this teacher has taught them in their future.

“How do I raise the self-esteem of a child and his academic achievement at the same time?”

 How important is it that a teacher raises their students’ self-esteem?

I think that increasing students’ self-esteem is essential so that they do not lose the
desire to continue learning and that they can believe in their skills and possibilities.

 What methods does Rita mention? Can you think of any other?

Rita refers to the importance that even though the student has many mistakes, such as
the example she gives that a student had 2 correct and 18 incorrect answers, the
student should be encouraged through the good ones, no matter how inferior, so that
this student does not want to stop learning or improving.

“Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who
understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can
possibly be.”

 What do you think of her message?

I consider it is a very important message especially for teachers, to make them see the
importance they have in the lives of their students, and that through a good
relationship full of trust and connection they can really help them in their learning
process.

 Did you have a “champion” when you were growing up? Who was it?

The truth is that as I commented in the video about the person who has influenced me
the most, I have never had a reference in the school environment.