What do you do if your students are struggling to connect with you emotionally?

Focus on building rapport and trust through active listening, empathy, and genuine interest in students' lives. We need to make students feel valued and understood. Create a supportive classroom environment.

The foundation of connecting in the classroom is building a relationship with your students. Being empathetic and sharing your own humanity and acknowledging the humanity of our students makes a world of difference.

Exhibit empathy by putting yourself in their shoes and understanding their emotions and perspectives. Acknowledge their feelings and validate their experiences even if you may not agree with them. In my experience, sharing relevant personal stories or experiences help students connect with you and see you as a relatable and empathetic figure. It creates a deeper emotional connection.

Find something the student is interested in and highlight that. If your student won’t talk to you across a table or uncomfortable looking you in the face… take them to play a sport and chat, maybe go for a walk outside and see if a different environment works for them.

Personalizing learning experiences is instrumental not only in tailoring education to individual student needs but also in forging strong emotional connections. When educators personalize learning, they acknowledge and cater to students' unique learning styles, interests, and strengths, develops a sense of value and relevance. This approach cultivates a supportive and inclusive learning environment where students feel seen, heard, and understood. Consequently, emotional connections deepen as trust and rapport are established, leading to increased motivation, engagement, and academic success. Thus, personalized learning not only enhances educational outcomes but also strengthens the teacher-student relationship.

If students seem disengaged emotionally, I find it helpful to have gentle one-on-one conversations to better understand individual perspectives and home challenges. Students may then feel comfortable opening up about underlying issues impacting studies. I also organize informal group activities, such as cultural sharing circles, to foster vulnerability and trust among peers. Taking personal interests like favorite music or sports into account helps curb distance. Above all, reminding students they are valued members of our learning community and there are people rooting for their success can lift spirits and re-ignite motivation. A collaborative approach usually does the trick.