Going the extra mile

Letting your students know you understand they have lives outside of the classroom can look different for each teacher. Teachers have lives outside the classroom too, so each teacher needs to go that extra mile according to what fits their own lives. Below are just some suggestions to help you find that perfect way for you.

• Talk to your students about their interests and extracurricular activities they participate in,
• Take an interest in their lives (hobbies, sports, church, cultural, and even family), ask questions to let them know you care and are interested,
• Attend some of their games, performances, or other extracurricular activities,
• Encourage your students to research and explore their hobbies and interests. Encourage them to explore how they can turn those passions and interests into a career.
• Be considerate when assigning homework – remember that they do have lives outside of school. Those lives involve time with their families, time with friends, and time building skills in sports, hobbies, or other activities that will help them become well-rounded adults.
• Bring those interests and cultural backgrounds into the classroom with relevant reading materials, use everyday examples from their interests and activities, link their interests and hobbies to learning, and give them choices when there are picking topics for research.
• Encourage their outside interests to foster their own learning.

Each teacher needs to take the direction that works best for his/her life. Each teacher needs to know his/her students and what they need to succeed.

Personal note: The last 9 years of my teaching career were at a school in one of the highest poverty communities in Greenville, SC. It was my choice to make the transfer, I wanted something different. It quickly became apparent to me how important it was for my students, and the students across the school, that I became interested in their lives, personally, socially, and academically. Soon after my transfer, my husband and I moved into his childhood home, which placed us close to the community of my school. What a unique and incredible experience. On a weekly basis, I would see my students or students from my school in grocery stores, restaurants, the pharmacy, and even in the hospital. Every time there was such a look of awe on their faces just because they saw ‘Mrs. Murrell’ at the same places they visit. When they would see me at school the next day, again there was that look of awe on their faces and they would start a conversation with me about why I shopped at their stores, or what did I like most at the restaurant, and so much more. There were even moments when they would ask me at the end of the day if I were going out to eat or to the store that evening, hoping they would see me again. They loved having that connection with me outside of school. Students come by my house to say hi, or to come Trick or Treating. I even started summer book clubs at my house, and many of my students would come every week during their summer vacation. We read and discussed books, ate lots of food, just talked about life as a 6^th grader, and laughed a lot. So many connections were made, and these students were not in my class anymore. They still come by to visit. Valuable connections were made through simple trips to the grocery store, and those connections helped foster an environment in the classroom that made learning more meaningful and real to them.

Making connections with them outside the school is vital to their success, whether it is going to their games, performances, the grocery store, or just having meaningful conversations with them. They need to see that you have a life outside of school, and that it is very much like their lives. When you purposely set out to make connections with them, go that extra mile, it shows them you care about them. It tells them you want them to succeed, and you want to do all you can to help them succeed.