Blog 7: Terri Thrailkill/ Bond with Your Students, Regie Routman

Blog 7:  Terri Thrailkill/ Bond with Your Students by Regie Routman

As I began to blog for this class, I scanned the table of contents of Reading Essentials and selected topics that I thought were most important to the task of teaching reading. Chapters dealing with guided reading, comprehension, assessment, and independent reading caught my attention as I hoped to improve my small group reading instruction of first graders. But now I realize that perhaps I should not have overlooked chapter 2—Bond with Your Students.  Routman got my attention when she stated, “Worldwide, the strongest predictor of reading achievement is the quality of student-teacher relations.”

Bonding is the intimately personal connection between student and teacher that is the core of responsive, excellent teaching. Routman explains, “Bonding depends on teaching that incorporates a learning model that assures success for all children.  That is, through demonstrations, invited participation, guided and independent practices, in an accepting and encouraging social and academic environment, students gradually become confident learners.” It is important that teachers ensure that every child experiences immediate and early success as a reader and writer, so that he will willingly engage in reading and writing with an “I can” attitude.  Early and repeated failures often lead to frustration and unwillingness to try.

Since “you can’t bond with someone you don’t know”, it is important that teachers make an effort to know their students not just as learners, but as unique individuals.  We must model respect, tolerance, compassion, and courtesy as we strive to know our students and bond with them.  We must speak words of encouragement to them.

We must allow and encourage students to share in making decisions. We show respect for their thinking when we seek their ideas and value what they say. Routman encourages teachers to allow student input in establishing classroom rules and procedures, decorating the room, organizing the classroom library, creating rubrics, and much more. Teachers should strive to create a community of learners where everyone’s ideas are valued and maintain a sense of “our” classroom rather than “my “classroom. “Sharing the power with students establishes a collaborative, congenial tone, and helps students bond with us and engage more deeply in learning.”

Sharing stories of our personal life often helps in bonding with our students.  We become more “real” to them and they come to trust us. We must also value the stories of our student’s lives that they share with us and write about. In doing so, we demonstrate to them that their lives really do matter to us.

One of the fastest ways to bond with young children is by reading aloud stories that they cannot read on their on, allowing them to hear rich language and great expression.  Enjoying stories together begins to build a trusting relationship and a classroom community.

Routman encourages teachers to get to know their students as readers.  She suggests interviewinstudents individually while they are reading independently and making brief notes.  This informal time encourages teachers and students to speak freely about their reading habits, attitudes, and preferences.  This information will guide teachers in making instructional decisions, choosing reading materials for the classroom, as well as discovering the habits and preferences of their students. Routman offers a helpful list of questions to use in conducting this reading interview. It is also important that we find out about our students’ reading lives at home so that we don’t make inaccurate assumptions bases only on our classroom observations.

Perhaps the most important aspect of bonding is joy—allowing our students to see how much we enjoy and appreciate their personalities, enthusiasm, and curiosity.  “Curriculum and standards must first connect with lives and spirits of our children if we’re to have any lasting success.  Unless we reach into our students’ hearts, we have no entry into their minds.”  Until we bond with our students, showing them that we know them, care about them, and connect with them, we will not be able to teach them effectively.