Conditional positive regard is when students feel like they have to “earn” your respect or kindness....like you only show care when they behave or do well. I think we all fall into that sometimes without meaning to, especially when we’re stressed or juggling a million things. But unconditional positive regard flips that....it’s about showing students that they matter no matter what kind of day they’re having.
I remember one student who was pretty shut down and always pushing back. Instead of focusing on the behavior, I just started chatting with him about what he liked....stuff like music, video games, little things that had nothing to do with school. It took a bit, but he started to relax and talk more, and eventually his attitude in class totally shifted. Just taking the time to connect and listen made a huge difference. It reminded me that sometimes the best classroom management is just caring about kids as people first.
I remember one student who was pretty shut down and always pushing back. Instead of focusing on the behavior, I just started chatting with him about what he liked....stuff like music, video games, little things that had nothing to do with school. It took a bit, but he started to relax and talk more, and eventually his attitude in class totally shifted. Just taking the time to connect and listen made a huge difference. It reminded me that sometimes the best classroom management is just caring about kids as people first.