How Do We Get Students Excited about Learning?

The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called 'truth'.  -Dan Rather

This blog post has been challenging to write.   I’ve had a daunting time determining the article’s actual topic.  I intended to write an article on respectful teacher/student relationships; however, the more information I read, the more confused I became.  I questioned if I was writing an article about the importance of teachers building respectful relationships with students or was I writing an article about motivating students? Articles on relationship building yielded information on student motivation.  Articles on student motivation yielded information on the power of respectful relationships.  After mulling the topics over for a few days, I can confidently say that respectful teacher-student relationships generate academic motivation, one is critical to the other and neither exists in isolation!

Since observing in classrooms has been my professional focus for a number of year, I'm interested in the many aspects of effective classroom surroundings.  When I visit any classroom the one question that’s always in the back of my mind is how does it feel emotionally to be a member of the classroom community? Needless to say, students are more productive when they live and work in an environment where they feel they are important, valued, and genuinely cared-for.  Does a particular classroom offer an environment where supportive feedback is provided on an ongoing basis, where the teacher has high expectations for herself and her students, and the students are able to grow as whole persons-physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively? In a relationship-rich classrooms, the teacher finds creative and enjoyable ways to keep students engaged, and she never gives up on any student.

Here are some fascinating video examples of primary, middle school, and high school teachers who model relationship-rich classroom settings.  These highlighted teachers provide warm, caring climates that foster the best in social and academic learning. Sit back and enjoy the videos.

Melissa Porferio, 1^st Grade Teacher

In Melissa Porferio's first grade classroom,  she concentrates on building empathetic relationships and developing the whole child.

Dorina Sackman, Middle School Teacher

Dorina Sackman has high expectations of her ESL middle school students.  By giving constructive feedback on an ongoing basis, she helps her student build their skills incrementally.

Sean McComb, High School Teacher

High school teacher Sean McComb encourages students to do their best and celebrates their hard work and effort.  By knowing his student's stories he is able to help them become confident  in their own emerging skills.

In the video Are We Failing Our Students? Dr. Pedro Noguera, professor of education at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Development asks, “ Why is it that educating children in America has become so hard?”  He believes the educational community has been asking the wrong questions.  Rather than looking at raising achievement, he thinks we should be looking at relationship issues.  He suggests that a better question might be, “How do we get kids excited about learning?"  When we ask different questions, we get different answers! When we get different answers, we might be moving in a more productive direction.  How will you build respectful relationships in your classroom?


None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody - a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns - bent down and helped us pick up our boots. -Thurgood Marshall