"Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Everyone from Teddy Roosevelt to John C. Maxwell has been attributed with coining the phrase above. It's been repeated often enough to become a well-known truism, especially in education.
This is especially true at Jacobson Elementary School. Along with teaching math, english, and art, students learn about relationship building from all of our teachers and in the example of the photos included, from their Principal, Mr Young.
As the building principal, Mr. Young believes building strong relationships is essential for creating a positive and effective learning environment. When students feel understood, supported, and valued by the grownups in the school, they are more likely to engage in the learning process, take risks, and develop a love for learning.
Students respond differently to relationship building. This is why you will see Mr. Young playing basketball during PE, and also see a Paraprofessional sitting on the floor in the hallway reading to a student, or playing a flash card game. You will see a teacher sitting with a group of students during lunch and a janitor asking a student how her volleyball game went the other day. Belonging.
A positive environment motivates students to be excited about school.