Schedule Special Time With Your Students

Scheduling special time is one way to create a connection with students.

When teachers take even just a few minutes to greet students as they come in the door, show concern for students’ problems, or take time for a little one-on-one instruction, the results can be profound. When students feel their teachers care, students are more likely to be engaged in learning and less likely to seek negative attention or engage in power struggles because their fundamental need to feel belonging is met. As connection increases, misbehavior decreases! Special Time is powerful—even when it takes only a few seconds.

It can take a huge paradigm shift to realize the value of special time because most adults were raised with an autocratic, top down approach to discipline. Unfortunately, this autocratic approach also focused on shame and blame rather than the importance of “connection before correction” and finding solutions.