BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
One of the best compliments any parent or carer can give a teacher is that ‘you really know my child’. Constructing an internal picture of each student becomes second nature the more you teach. It is, of course, the key to everything, whatever your educational philosophy. If you wish to excite, cajole, introduce, extend, support, encourage or motivate effectively, you have to know your students. Recognising when something isn’t quite right, or spotting a new-found interest can make all the difference to a student’s learning.
The ability to give a well-judged word of encouragement or reasoned critique at the right time and for the right reason comes more easily with experience, but having said that, it is also a joy to see newly qualified teachers get things just right as they inspire and then respond to feedback they get from students.
This of course, is how respect is earned and the better all members of staff (both teaching and non-teaching) know their students, the better the school will become.
Two articles in this month’s edition of ITM emphasise the point. In the first piece of a new column – Teaching Lives – David Porritt looks at how Emma de Goederen places a knowledge of her students at the heart of her teaching philsophy. And, as schools around the world prepare for the new school year, Barbara Stoecker has some practical ideas for refocusing our attention on student needs.
With that in mind, have a great first week and a fantastic 2026 -7!
Andy Homden is Editor of International Teacher Magazine and the CEO of international education consultants, Consilium Education.
FEATURE IMAGE: by Ginnet Delgado on iStock
