This document discusses the importance of building caring relationships with students. It emphasizes inviting students to get to know the real person beneath the teacher, and sharing one's own experiences with mistakes to build vulnerability and trust. The document advocates for apologizing to students when deserved, focusing on repairing the relationship over being right. It also encourages teachers to physically position themselves at the same level as students during discussions, such as sitting in a student desk, to foster more open learning. The overall message is that building rapport through authentic engagement and empathy can transform difficult students into successful learners.

1. Respecting
And
Protecting
Personal
One-on-one
Relationship
Touchpoints
Touching lives
..one relationship at a time.
Every child should have a
caring adult in their lives. And
that's not always a biological
parent or family member. It may
be a friend or neighbor. Often
times it is a teacher.
Joe Manchin
People have often heard me say, “I’ve
given birth to none but raised many.”
So many children have gained a special
place in my life and in my heart be-
cause I invited them to get to know the
real me..
It’s not easy sharing with children the
consequences you had to face due to
some of the bad choices that you’ve
made. It puts you in a very vulnerable
place but it’s in this place that miracles
happen and relationships are born.
My Passion for
youth is my
purpose for living
Rapport First
Phone: 919-714-3088
E-mail: satlasdst2010@gmail.com
Touching lives
..one relationship at a time.
404 Aqua Marine Lane
Knightdale, NC 27545

2. I MUST ADMIT,
WHAT I AM ABLE
TO DO WITH CHIL-
DREN AS IT RE-
LATES TO RAPPORT
BUILDING IS TO-
TALLY AND COM-
PLETELY A GIFT
THAT I CAN’T AND
WILL NOT TAKE
CREDIT FOR. HOW-
EVER, I ALSO
KNOW THAT IT’S A GIFT THAT WAS
MEANT TO BE SHARED. JUST LIKE ANY
OTHER TEACHING TOOL WHAT I OFFER
ARE STRATEGIES THAT CAN BE SUCCESS-
FUL WHEN APPLIED TO THE RIGHT
CHILD AND THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCE.
WHEN IMPLEMENTED CORRECTLY AND
WITH THE RIGHT MOTIVATION YOUR
WORSE NIGHTMARE CAN BE TRANS-
FORMED INTO A DREAM CHILD. WE
MUST ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THAT
THESE CHANGES DON’T COME BY FOCUS-
ING SELFISHLY ON OUR OWN EXPECTA-
TIONS BUT WE MUST PLACE EMPHASIS ON
THE RELATIONSHIP AND THEREBY OPEN
THE DOOR TO MUTUAL RESPECT, TRUST,
AND SUCCESS. THESE ARE DOORS NO
MAN CAN SHUT!
I apologize...
Now everyone knows that teachers are nev-
er wrong but every now and then we still
find our situations where an apology would
go far and deep. What am I saying? The
impact made on a child’s heart when an
adult extends an apology is immeasurable.
This is not to say that you simply say, “I’m
sorry” for the sake of saying it but make a
legitimate apology with a legitimate reason
behind it. In other words if the child was
rude and disrespectful and you corrected
him sternly in front of everyone this may
have caused the situation to escalate to a
level that went to a dimension called
“extra.” Dare to be the teacher that asks the
child to hang back when the bell rings and
when they do, apologize to him. Simply say
the truth. “Jimmy, I’m going to be honest. I
meant every word I said to you but I owe
you an apology because that should have
been a conversation between you and me
and not the entire class.” Jimmy may have
deserved every BIT
of your rage but
remember the fo-
cus is not on you
it’s on the relation-
ship. Every now
and then we need
to take one for the
team.
Take the lower seat...
As teachers we know that our classes need
to be less of lecture and more of motiva-
tional learning. Sometimes the greatest
learning experiences come in the form of
academic analytical discussions. Whether
it’s a controversial conversation about a
recent judicial decision or an in-depth talk
about the verdict in “To Kill a Mocking-
bird” such interaction can be not only
thought-provoking but energizing. These
can also be opportunities for you to allow
your students to look you in the eye and
get to know you a little better as a person.
Resist the temptation to stand behind the
podium at the front of the class or sit in
the swivel chair behind the desk. In fact, let
one student sit behind the desk, another sit
on the materials table in the front, and still
another lean casually on the podium while
you simply take a seat in a desk. You don’t
need an interior decorator to turn your
classroom into a living room and you don’t
need glasses to see the benefit of, every
now and then, taking the lower seat.
Phone: 919-714-3088
E-mail: satlasdst2010@gmail.com
Touching lives
..one relationship at a time.
Rapport First
Shellena Atlas,
English teacher
and mentor
404 Aqua Marine Lane
Knightdale, NC 27545