As people walk around Liberty, they can’t help but notice students talking to their favorite teachers.
David McNair (he/him), a Spanish teacher, gave feedback on how the attention makes him feel.
“When students talk to me in the halls, I love it. It puts a big smile on my face, but most importantly, their faces. I have an open door policy, and I want students to have a place to feel comfortable, whether that’s just to say hi, or for students to come in my room for academic help.” McNair expressed that he talks to many students throughout the day, and every one of them makes him keep a smile on his face.
As students feel more comfortable, teachers slowly become mentors for them throughout the school year. Not only are they becoming mentors, but they’re also role models, helping to grow students’ self-esteem.
Carly Schramm (she/her), 11, expressed that was the case for her. “It goes beyond learning Spanish when it comes to McNair. If there’s ever something going on at home, and you’re having a tough time in class, McNair will see that and ask if you’re okay, and I think that makes it an easy way to become connected with him.”
Both students and teachers are more likely to have good attendance if they have something to look forward to during the day (attendanceworks.org). This could be talking to their favorite teacher, and for teachers, this could be talking with their students.
“Anybody walking by McNair’s classroom will know he is always very welcoming and will never fail to make them laugh. He makes sure to stand in the hallway during passing time to see all of his students pass by and say hi.” Said Schramm.
As teachers give lessons, many keep in mind the struggles students may be going through. Conrad Nichols (he/him), a history teacher at Liberty, explains how he ties his lessons to relate to students.
“Something I love to do at the beginning of the year is to give myself time to learn everyone’s names, and I think that goes a long way by just being able to call a student by their name. I teach history, so everything we learn can be a fun game to make it more engaging for 14 to 15-year-olds, and how they may be hearing the lessons I teach.”
As students get farther through the school year, mental health is going to be harder to control. A good teacher that students can count on will make a positive impact on mental health (frontiersin.org). As students walk into Nichols’ classroom, they can already feel a positive switch.
Nichols explains how he engages students to keep a positive mindset during the day.
“I always start the day with a small game, which normally opens up the students to a positive mindset throughout the class. However, if I ever see a student who’s not quite matching the energy as others, I normally pull them for a chat to check up on them just to make sure everything is okay.” Nichols also adds that the small game they play allows students to connect, creating a better relationship in his classroom atmosphere.
Sophie Vanderpol (she/her), 10, gave feedback on how Nichols goes about his lessons, and how he creates a better understanding with students, creating relationships with them.
“Not only does he care about his students, but you can always tell that he cares about the subjects he’s teaching during class. He’s always enthusiastic and makes us [students] want to learn.” At Liberty, there are many more teachers on whom students can rely. As everyone can get the help they need from their favorite teachers, it will affect the student success rate (waterford.org). Year after year, the teachers may change, but the connections won’t.
