“I’m not here to change you, I’m here to help you grow."
Unconditional positive regard is a mindset that can be put into practice in our classrooms. In practice, this can look like welcoming everyone into the classroom, for instance. Keeping an open mind about students and not speaking ill of them with colleagues nor treating them differently in front of other students is also beneficial to maintaining and strengthening this philosophy. We should see and acknowledge all of a students’ strengths, not just specific areas of academic excellence; we should value and care for the “whole child” as detailed in our district’s Strategic Plan. We should be invested in finding connection points with students and making time to talk about their interests. Venet says “get curious” in the podcast. If we approach interactions with students from a place of curiosity rather than condemnation or negative thinking, we will be able to connect with them on a deeper level. Venet also calls connecting with students “a process”; establishing and gaining trust with a student is very important, and it takes time and patience.
I connected with a student early on in the school year last year by honing in on one of his particular interests: creative writing. I did not only take an interest in supporting him academically with his writing, but I also invited and encouraged him to freewrite if we had some extra time in the period. We would share the writing we did together and offer verbal comments. The exchange was casual and provided a space for us to connect and get to know one another through a simple activity. Throughout the year, our conversations were genial and taking the time to connect established the trust that was needed.
Unconditional positive regard is a mindset that can be put into practice in our classrooms. In practice, this can look like welcoming everyone into the classroom, for instance. Keeping an open mind about students and not speaking ill of them with colleagues nor treating them differently in front of other students is also beneficial to maintaining and strengthening this philosophy. We should see and acknowledge all of a students’ strengths, not just specific areas of academic excellence; we should value and care for the “whole child” as detailed in our district’s Strategic Plan. We should be invested in finding connection points with students and making time to talk about their interests. Venet says “get curious” in the podcast. If we approach interactions with students from a place of curiosity rather than condemnation or negative thinking, we will be able to connect with them on a deeper level. Venet also calls connecting with students “a process”; establishing and gaining trust with a student is very important, and it takes time and patience.
I connected with a student early on in the school year last year by honing in on one of his particular interests: creative writing. I did not only take an interest in supporting him academically with his writing, but I also invited and encouraged him to freewrite if we had some extra time in the period. We would share the writing we did together and offer verbal comments. The exchange was casual and provided a space for us to connect and get to know one another through a simple activity. Throughout the year, our conversations were genial and taking the time to connect established the trust that was needed.