Almost universally, students have shared that they want respectful relationships with their teachers. They have expressed how important it is for their teachers to believe in them and to understand them as whole people, not just as academic learners.
Students have also expressed that they want to feel like administrators respect them. To them, respect means both relational compassion and also understanding of their upbringing and racial and ethnic backgrounds.
“My school does not promote or ensure that options like [my music class] are widely available to students who may benefit from a low stakes activity that they’re passionate about. Instead, there is a lot of pressure to overachieve and participate in activities that make you a “better college applicant,” and there is not a lot of encouragement to pursue things you enjoy.” — Ariyana
“I had been taking an extra class during the lunch period without receiving credit for it. This class was a music production class, and since I am personally very interested in music as a whole, this class was a good fit for me. Because of that, it made me feel like I wasn’t being forced to succeed in the class and it something I was doing on my own and not an expectation. This helped alleviate my feeling of burnout.” — Scarlett
“When I tried to speak out about the flaws that my school had by emailing the other students and staff, they ended up blocking the email and silenced me.” — Chloe
“As policymakers, it’s your responsibility to make sure that our teachers, principals, and administrators are equipped to be leaders. They’re shaping us for our future, and it’s a two-sided exchange.”— Adam
“Today I’d like to discuss the necessity for guidance counselors to receive robust training on mental health conditions beyond just anxiety and depression.” — Hailey
“If schools would like to come up with a solution to smoking and vaping, they should address the main cause: social influence and stress. They should also communicate with students to figure out a solution.” — Maryan
“It’s like a one-sided relationship where the only side you see talking is the adults stating things that don’t add up to their actions. … So why do you say that you’re with the students, but you can’t even be there for them for their needs?” —Dieunie
Many students have stated that they benefit from programs at school where they can form strong relationships with adults who support their mental health and social emotional needs, as well as offer additional academic support.
Students have described how high staff turnover can lead to a lack of consistency and stability in the school. Teacher absenteeism is a related issue in that several students have shared they do not learn effectively from repeat substitutes.
This website is dedicated to the valuable lessons we can learn from students’ own experiences about how to create better schools. Decisions about schooling are often made without listening deeply to students themselves. But students are in the best position to understand what they need in order to do well in school.
A collaboration of the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI), Harvard Law School and Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC). LEARN MORE
Addison – Relationships: Teachers
“A good student-teacher relationship helps students feel safe and comfortable in a classroom, enabling us to learn better.” — Addison
Calista – Relationships: Teachers
“If training in areas such as dealing with student depression and grief or comforting a student with anxiety become a requirement, I believe the relationship between students and teachers could improve immensely.” — Calista
Calista – Relationships: Teachers
“There have been multiple instances in which I feel as though I am not viewed as a teenager, or a human even, by my teachers.” — Calista
Scarlett – Relationships: Teachers
“Some teachers don’t understand that some students don’t have the best at home life or support, and that in order to succeed, they need to have a decent baseline of support. Some teachers need to understand that they can 100% help in supporting their student to succeed. Even small things like checking in on them or even just waving hello could leave a positive impact on not just their learning, but also their attitude and behavior.” — Scarlett
Ethan – Relationships: Teachers
“While bullying is a student led problem, teachers are the enablers or disenablers. They become enablers simply by ignoring, or by pushing stereotypes like boys will be boys.” — Ethan