Before a teacher can help a student grow, they must have a personal relationship founded on trust. The student must believe that the teacher cares about him individually, understands his situation and wants the best for him. To build this kind of relationship, teachers should interact with each student one-on-one, particularly with students who seem shy or have few friends in their peer group. Teachers should know their students' strengths and weaknesses and individually help students address their weak areas.
An important component of a trusting teacher-student relationship is the teacher's familiarity with the student. Teachers should make an effort to know their students' interests, home situations, backgrounds and temperaments. If a student needs help with a concept, teachers should be able to tailor their examples and explanations to the particular child. For example, if a student is struggling to apply physics formulas to word problems and the teacher knows that the student is a dancer, the teacher can give the student sample problems dealing with the physics of dance. Personal familiarity like this helps students believe that their teachers care about them as people, not just as a letter in a grade book, which makes the students more invested in the relationship.
Once teachers have established personal relationships with their students, they should then cultivate a mutual respect. Teachers should regularly ask their students' opinions on the material they are learning, listen to their questions and treat them as intelligent, useful individuals. When students feel that their teachers respect them, they are more likely to give respect in return and to work to continue to earn respect from their teachers. Teachers can then set high expectations for their students, who will strive to meet those expectations.
Students are more likely to grow in school if they are comfortable in their classroom. To most effectively help students develop, teachers must keep their classrooms safe, positive and warm. Teachers should be aware of the social status of each of their students and work to help students who struggle socially. To do this, teachers should call on their low-status students regularly, setting an example of acceptance. They also should frequently have students work in pairs or small groups, matching low-status students with friendly high-status students.