अज्ञान तिमिरान्धस्य ज्ञानाञ्जन शलाकया।
चक्षुरुन्मीलितं येन तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः॥
Teachers are the architects of civilization. The bond between a teacher and a student is not only confined to academic transactions but pervades the personal lives of one another. Effective teachers create an environment conducive to growth, establish trust, and communicate effectively, leading to stronger connections and a more successful learning experience. School is viewed as a microcosm of larger society where societal dynamics can be keenly observed. Every school has its own culture, practices, language and power structure. The role of student is diversified from mere learners of concept to assuming leadership roles, developing interpersonal and intrapersonal skills and many more. In the present context, acquisition of 21st century skill is a key focus. The school becomes a ground for competition in which peer group formation takes place and secondary socialization starts finding its way. A positive and vibrant relationship of students with teachers mostly results in development of skills like effective communication, critical thinking, creative thinking, and collaboration that aids students with conflict resolution and helps them develop adaptability for their broader societal roles.
The attitude and role of a teacher influences classroom transactions and the life of the learner. The famous book, Letter to a Teacher, by The School of Barbiana–which was published originally in Italian and later translated in English in 1969– focuses on the agony of Italian peasant class children who were ignored and marginalized due to teachers’ approach. The book begins with the lines - ‘You won’t remember me or my name. You have failed so many of us. On the other hand, I have often had thoughts about you, and the other teachers, and about that institution which you call ‘school’ and about the boys that you fail. You fail us right out into the fields and factories and there you forget us,’ which resonate even today.
The creation of a conducive learning environment calls for a vibrant relationship between the teacher and the taught. My experience as teacher at KV AFS Kumbhirgram, KV Hinoo & PM SHRI KV no 2 Bailey Road, are proof enough of creation of learning environments where students were motivated to perform beyond their limitations. The cohesive culture and collaborative efforts produced all round development amongst the learners.
Lesson from the Past: Gurukul system and student productivity.
A witness to its efficacy in promoting high levels of student productivity and overall development through firm and fruitful pupil-teacher relationships is the Gurukul system, an old Indian residential education program. The guru-shishya bond was based on family bonds - fostering trust, respect, and a deep sense of commitment. Each student received individualized attention, ensuring that their learning pace and needs were addressed effectively. The relationship often extended beyond formal education, creating a strong support system for lifelong learning and growth. Gurus helped immensely in character development, instilling discipline, and ethical values alongside academic knowledge, leading to well-rounded individuals. The classes were experiential and assessment was continuous - giving scope for peer interaction and collaboration. Learning was perceived as a sacred duty, leading to intrinsic motivation and a strong desire to excel. Students understood the relevance of their studies to society, inspiring them to contribute meaningfully. The development of social responsibility preceded improved academic performance.
Positive Teacher-Student Relationship : A win-win situation
It is important to have a strong and positive teacher-student relationship. Psychologically, students having a positive , supportive relationship with teachers have achieved a lot more as compared to those in conflict with their relationship. The students hail from various socio-economic strata and come with vivid primary imprinting. The school houses diversity and nurtures aspirations. The students progress at different speeds but the association with teachers ensures achievements for all students irrespective of the differences. The learners feel valued and start contributing in various areas.
I had a good experience in my school and community around where initiatives were accepted and rewarded. I vividly remember a class where students hailed from planter’s colony and tribal hamlet. A large number of students showed lesser participation in prescribed activities. As an intervention, I had one-on-one discussions with students to weed out their misconceptions. As a result, a council was made where students were given opportunities to propose activities and register participation. In the classroom setting, groups were formed and participation was ensured. The opportunity of peer assessment was provided. The culmination was mass participation and contribution from every student. The caring of the school garden, development of hobby clubs, maintaining classroom sanitation, ensuring health & hygiene, celebration of events and many other activities were handled by the student council and individual classes on a rotation basis. The development of socio-emotional skills was a cherry on the cake. The classes bred an environment of mutual respect which made pedagogic transactions effective. The classes turned into welcome spaces where diverse learning styles became evident and improved the mental health of learners immensely. The school became a functional ‘no anger zone’ . The results were mutually benefitting for both teachers and students. The mentors could develop their own interpersonal and professional skills apart from learners gaining social competence, problem-solving abilities, autonomy, and a sense of a bright future. There are both short term and long term benefits to this. The association decreased incidences of behavioural problems and enhanced academic success for learners. This is truly a win-win situation for both teachers and students.
Causes of Poor Student -Teacher Relationships
Reflections and observations as a teacher and pedagogic leader, I have come across reasons due to which teachers and students sometimes lack a firm relationship. Some of them are :
Large Class Size: In typical functional classes, the class size becomes limiting in establishing rapport and individual care. The workload gets higher and instructional hours are impacted. Students receive less individual attention, hindering their academic progress. Even the physical infrastructure becomes a cripple.
The Student to Teacher Ratio has shown marked improvement especially after NEP 2020 implementation but we are lagging behind the global ratio. Countries like Finland, Japan, South Korea, Singapore have significantly lower student to teacher ratio and higher educational quality. The inference is that the healthy student-teacher relationship greatly influences a supportive learning environment.
Lack of empathy, ineffective communication and disengagements: Teachers are motivated to take regular training as part of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes but a functional impact is yet to be seen at large. The students often report teachers’ inability to understand student perspectives and emotions. The issues of favouritism, negative body language, inconsistency in discipline, exhaustion and disengagement leading to reduced patience and enthusiasm are evident on the part of mentors. I have come to an understanding that poor lesson planning and lack of forethought act as contributing factors in ineffective student-teacher relationships and hence lower attainments.
Student related issues: The causes can never be unilateral, rather multilateral. The social imprinting and peer influences often take the shape of disruptive behaviour. Learning difficulties and learning disabilities are often ignored in classes. This results in lack of interest on part of the learner who fails to align with acquisition of concepts and hence lands into frustration. The lack of trust creeps in and students avoid approaching mentors, resorting to activities that disrupt the learning environment.
Power imbalances & personality clashes: At times, it is seen that personality clashes between the learner and teachers leads to miscommunication and assumptions that act as impediment in establishing a positive relationship.
Ways To Build a Positive Student-Teacher Relationship
The importance of student teachers’ relationship is profound and has great implications in education. There are many ways to build a strong and positive student-teacher Relationship. The list goes long but some general points can be considered for better outcome
Knowing your Learners: It is important for teachers to know the background, psychology and habits of their learners individually. Greeting students with a gentle smile and asking about their daily life can set the tone. Keen observation and patient listening can also provide a better insight. The NEP clearly suggests a collaborative approach of learning where teachers can take down observations and correlate with individual students’ performances. In a social setting, peer interaction and subsequent feedback can additionally help the teacher gather insights. PTMs are helpful events where case-based discussion with the parents, and taking their feedback can immensely help a teacher to understand their learners. The month-end meeting can also be used to gather views of various teachers towards the performance and behaviour of students. The display of answer scripts and healthy discussion followed by assigning of responsibility and subsequent assessment is quite helpful in fostering trust, respect, and open communication. Teachers gain invaluable insights into their students' strengths, weaknesses, learning styles, and individual needs with their involvement. I have spent time in classes during recess and leisure, and resorted to joyful activities which elicited students’ communication. Labelling and favouritism must be done away to ensure strong rapport.
Provide students with choice: A class is vibrant only when it draws the attention of learners. Using diverse teaching methods and devising multiple assessment methods will surely help all learners to participate. In science classes, testing a concept may include interactive worksheets, making of collages, presenting a play on the topic, making a model or presentation by a group of learners will spark the classroom environment with joyful learning. Students must be allowed to design their own experiment and come forward with hypotheses. Creativity and critical thinking must get as much focus as collaboration and effective communication. These choices fill the learner with positive self esteem, and regards towards the teacher. Hence, the creation of a conducive learning environment.
Accept students, and their mistakes in the classroom: Mistakes are the pillars of learning. A teacher must have a high degree of acceptance towards the submission of learners. Mistakes are now understood as alternate concepts. The journey from mistake to appropriate conceptual framework must be gradual and one should not push students away from the learning sphere. Students' comfort and involvement have shown positive results. The learners must begin to trust a system and help in building a positive classroom environment.
Faith and focus that all can succeed: A teacher must be propelled with strong faith towards learners. The ability to perform must be backed by courage to participate. The teachers’ beliefs about their students subconsciously affect children’s participation. The first step towards creating a positive environment includes clearly communicating the expectation to the students. The diversity of the classroom must be taken as an opportunity to excel. Hand-holding and support can ignite new spark and bring the best out of every child. In the words of Lev Vygotsky, Scaffolding is needed at stages to enhance the Zone of Proximal Development.
Sharing lighter moments and having a laugh together: School is no place to feel burdened. It’s a melting pot for learning of values, cultures, skills and developing mutual respect for one another. A disciplinarian classroom may not involve interactive learners. A teacher is never taken into respect for policing role but for amicable percolation of habits that leads to development. Sharing lighter moments, calling for witty remarks, providing an opportunity for ice breaking and innovative communication lead to sublimation of passivity. Such practices carefully eliminate distractions and strengthen the bond between teachers and students. Such rapport is supportive in carrying out pedagogic transactions with ease and makes assessments meaningful and learning joyful.
As a teacher, my journey towards excellence continues as an amalgamation of ideas and execution at various levels. I had started a program in my school called ‘Celebrating Failure’. The program gained popularity as well as support from parents and students alike. I have always found a way to involve learners in all activities. In my journey as a teacher, efforts taken to make the classroom comfortable gave rise to involved and joyful learning. The understanding between me and my learners created a nurturing environment where students felt empowered to take risks and explore their potential.
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