We live in a world where people strive for perfection. In my opinion, the journey to networking and developing a good rapport with others is halfway done when you build better relationships with your teachers. It may sound a bit pointless to some, but working on these relationships enhances your social skills, and students tend to be more engaged in their learning. But how can you do so? How do you make a good impression in front of your teachers? Does it mean you must behave like a teacher's pet? Let’s take a look at how to build better relationships with your teachers and why it’s important.
Be supportive of your peers
You can’t be a good student and connected to your teacher if you aren’t supportive of your peers and classmates. The whole idea of a classroom is to create an atmosphere of knowledge—a place where we can learn new things together. But how does it impact the relationship you have with the teacher? If you know how to behave with a classmate and how the process of learning works, your humble behavior will be perceived. Your teachers will automatically be more interested in teaching someone with good ethical values. That’s why group projects are so often assigned in learning; the idea isn’t just about growing individually but helping others grow as well.
Related: How to Build and Use a Support Network in High School
Ask questions
Do you ever notice that you’re listening to a lecture and zone out for a moment? Or that a whole concept just bounces off your head? What do you do? Most of us tend to remain silent and don’t utter a word out of fear or nervousness. That’s what I used to do a lot! What if the teacher thinks I’m silly for asking such a question? But to a teacher, every question is as right as rain. Teachers love when students ask questions. It shows you’re listening and interested in what they’re teaching. No question is a dumb question. And if you start asking questions, there’s no going back. It helps to build up a constructive mind and, of course, your teacher will appreciate your involvement in class discussions.
Try your best and prove it
Procrastination is our favorite daily activity—but that’s not what works when you want to have a better relationship with someone who hates the very idea. Teachers appreciate students far more for being reliable and dependable workers than they do for anything else. Express your doubts regularly if you’re struggling with concepts, and attend classes regularly. Show your teachers that you respect them and their subjects, even if you don’t necessarily like those subjects. The idea of you willing to try your best makes a big difference.
Related: Top Tips for Getting Good Grades in High School and College
Share what you feel and think
Try to make real connections with your teachers, because after all, they’re all human beings who have feelings too. Also, you may need them to write you a letter of recommendation someday, and they can’t do that if they don’t really know you! Don’t be afraid to express yourself and share your thoughts with them. Discuss something out of the box to make them laugh, or share your personal experiences to make them proud of what you’ve become. Thank them often so they realize they play a great role in your life. Tell them about the moments where you used their ideologies practically. But most importantly, be the real you in front of them. Don’t try to change just to please them—no one likes a phony. Be honest with them, and if you make a mistake, accept it and apologize, because lying will only lose your teacher's trust.
Never try to be the teacher’s pet
No teacher actually likes someone being a teacher’s pet. What they all wish for is an obedient student who pays attention during class and answers questions sincerely—and sometimes even cracks a joke in the middle of a session. But none of them will ever wish for a student who constantly competes for their approval or flatters them all the time. Believe me, it comes off like nothing but false flattery. Teachers love all their students equally, so don’t try to act like their favorite.
Related: What Questions Should I Ask My Academic Advisor?
Striving for perfection is good, but we should all keep in mind that perfect is an infinite term. There’s no limit to perfection and no way to truly reach it. So don’t try to be the “perfect” student to your teachers. All you want to do is to build a relationship of trust and honesty with someone who is striving to make you a better and more learned person, has accepted your flaws, and has made you aware of the real world that exists outside the four walls of their classroom.
Teachers aren’t the only important figures in your life! Make sure you’re connecting with school counselors during COVID-19 too.
