Why does it matter?
The YouthTruth Survey question “How many of your teachers make an effort to understand what your life is like outside of school?” measures a key piece of what constitutes high-quality relationships between students and teachers. Students learn best when they feel cared for and connected to our teachers and classmates.
Build a “belonging classroom”
This video is one of many in Edutopia’s How Learning Happens Series, which explores teaching practices grounded in the science of learning and human development. Here’s a helpful exploration of widely adaptable structures and rituals that explicitly build belonging in the classroom: