The key to positive school culture, academic achievement, and student success comes down to one word: relationships. The relationships formed among the students and staff in a school are the foundation on which everything else rests. When you focus on building schoolwide relationships, you create an environment that fosters profound growth for all.
Positive Teacher-Student Relationships
In the classroom, building schoolwide relationships between teacher and students can be transformative. A typical school year is 180 days, and the average school day is 6.64 hours – meaning that students spend nearly 1200 hours in an educational environment each year. For many students, this is the most significant amount of time they spend with adults. From the moment they walk into school until they leave for the day, students benefit from positive interactions with educators. For some, the relationship they have with their teacher may be the only beneficial adult interaction they have on an ongoing basis. Students who have positive relationships with teachers are more likely to experience academic success as well as greater social-emotional skills development.
Positive Student Relationships
Teachers set the tone for classroom interactions. A supportive classroom environment focused on building strong social-emotional skills enables students to form positive relationships with peers. The teacher plays an important role in this process. By modeling appropriate behavior and providing intentional social-emotional instruction, a teacher can positively impact the way students relate to one another. This can help to mitigate bullying as well as improve student confidence and self-esteem.
Positive Staff Relationships
Interactions between staff members can be a catalyst for positive connections throughout the school. Cultivating an atmosphere of teamwork and mutual appreciation among staff members helps to create a positive environment for everyone in the school. Students who observe adults interacting in a positive manner are more likely to mirror these behaviors, both with teachers and their peers. Additionally, positive relationships between staff members are a key factor in the creation of positive school climate, reducing teacher burnout and increasing staff retention rates.
Using PBIS Rewards for Building Schoolwide Relationships
A PBIS initiative can help create a positive learning environment, particularly when paired with social-emotional learning (SEL).
PBIS helps to change the focus of behavior management in a school, placing increased recognition on positive behaviors as well as supporting students in development of social-emotional skills. In fact, PBIS can produce profound change in a school’s climate, including improved academic performance, reduced discipline referrals, and increased instructional time.
However, managing a PBIS initiative can be a lot of work. For many schools, their first foray into PBIS comes with a great deal of manual management. Paper tickets, manual tracking, and inconsistent use among staff members can render a PBIS initiative less effective. Fortunately, PBIS Rewards can help solve these pain points and more.
As a digital management solution for PBIS, PBIS Rewards can simplify every aspect of a PBIS initiative. Any staff member can recognize any student, anywhere, at any time without the need for physical tokens. The software tracks every single data point, making it easy for admins and PBIS teams to adjust the initiative to better serve the school community. Schools that add the optional Advanced Referral System feature also have the option to utilize Navigate360’s Behavior Intervention & Restorative Practices curriculum. This powerful combination can help turn poor behavior choices into opportunities for learning and growth.
When it comes to building schoolwide relationships, it’s helpful to remember that every act counts. Peer connections between students, strong bonds among staff, and the all-important teacher-student relationships are crucial for creating a positive school culture. Navigate360 and PBIS Rewards can help your school ride a wave of positivity toward a respectful, inclusive school community. We’d love to tell you more – contact us today!
