LITMIR.BIZ

       { CHAPTER 1 }

       Develop the Mindset

      Many students at risk have sundry issues that prompt them to believe avoiding relationships with adults is in their best interest. They may have experienced tumultuous relationships with adults in their past. They may have been let down, betrayed, abandoned, abused, or even assaulted. Their lack of positive adult role models can foster behavior patterns that serve only to deepen their at-risk status.

      While some educators work to build supports for students at risk, some students work to build walls to avoid relationships with teachers. During this time, teachers must not give up on trying to reach their troubled students. By adopting a relationship-building mindset, educators will make a commitment to persevere, be relentless in showing their students that they care about them, and go above and beyond to build trusting relationships with them.

      The Glossary of Education Reform (Great Schools Partnership, 2013a) defines the term students at risk as:

      Students or groups of students who are considered to have a higher probability of failing academically or dropping out of school. The term may be applied to students who face circumstances that could jeopardize their ability to complete school, such as homelessness, incarceration, teenage pregnancy, serious health issues, domestic violence, transiency (as in the case of migrant-worker families), or other conditions, or it may refer to learning disabilities, low test scores, disciplinary problems, grade retentions, or other learning-related factors that could adversely affect the educational performance and attainment of some students. While educators often use the term at-risk to refer to general populations or categories of students, they may also apply the term to individual students who have raised concerns based on specific behaviors observed over time that indicate they are more likely to fail or drop out.

      Using focus groups of grades 6–9 teachers, Brittany Hecker, Ellie L. Young, and Paul Caldarella’s (2014) research identifies students most at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Teachers responded to their survey and indicated that they expected the behaviors of students at risk to include: difficulty maintaining peer and teacher relationships, difficulty with hygiene and sleep, challenging home and school relationships, and noncompliance with teacher directions (p. 20).

      Research also has documented the following common characteristics, experiences, or behaviors of students at risk: substance abuse, underachievement, catastrophic worldview, academically challenged, disruptive family, poor communication, loss and separation, and connections with other disenfranchised students (Gasa, 2001). Some intrapersonal and psychological characteristics of students at risk include poor self-image, anger, loneliness, impulsivity, and depression (Nunn & Thomas, 1992). As you can see, the characteristics of students at risk are wide ranging. Such negative characteristics and behaviors are typically distinct barriers to success in school.

      Educators must recognize these characteristics so they can intervene early. Early identification and intervention are key. Educators can identify students at risk by examining those with low academic scores, poor attendance, and frequent office discipline referrals. Teachers should begin building relationships with these students to increase their engagement and affection for school. Building a relationship has been widely recognized as one of the most effective actions that educators can take to transform a student at risk into an achiever (O’Shaughnessy, Lane, Gresham, & Beebe-Frankenberger, 2003).

      Unfortunately, students who fall into this category are often at risk of dropping out of school because of other catastrophic events. The term at risk may be applied to students who face other catastrophic events such as teen pregnancy, health issues, or domestic violence.

      The challenges that students at risk face also make it challenging for school personnel to develop relationships with them. Because the challenges are so great, some educators may find it easier to give up. This is why developing a relationship-building mindset is so important.

      During my workshop “The Power of Building Trusting Relationships With Students at Risk,” attendees share how they struggle to build relationships with some of their more challenging students, sometimes falling into the trap of indifference. They describe the backgrounds of the students and some of their behaviors. They talk about different incidents that have occurred and how their irritation levels rise. They share stories of enduring disrespect, insubordination, and contempt and how they are cussed at, ignored, and even threatened.

      Some state that they do not receive any help from their students’ parents and lament the many factors giving rise to poor behavior and low academic performance. At times, some even state they lack interest in building relationships with some of their students. Many teachers tell me that they feel themselves going into survival mode within the first quarter of the school year, followed by a period of self-reflection to decide whether they want to continue to teach.

      I tell them, “I’ve been there and done that! Now let’s do something about it.”

      My passion for working with students at risk prompted me to write this book. Studies show that teacher-student relationships affect students’ academic achievement, social and emotional development, behavior, and feelings of belonging, as well as classroom management and school climate, just to name a few outcomes (Cataldi, Laird, & Kewalramani, 2009; Gallagher, 2013). The importance of establishing these relationships and developing them with students at risk is the main focus not only of this book but of my life’s work. It has not always been easy building relationships and connecting with students, but over time, with continued practice and through trial and error, I was able to develop a relationship-building mindset that has proven to be such a game-changer.

      Indeed, adopting this mindset meant the difference between working with challenging students and giving up. I encourage all educators to view working with students at risk with a relationship-building mindset. The greater the number of teachers committing to this style of growth-fostering education, the greater students’ chances for success. Educational research documents numerous benefits of building relationships with students along with the negative effects of a failure to do so.

What the Research Says

      Until the 2000s, research failed to address how teachers form strong teacher-student relationships in practice. And even since then, despite the implications and recommendations from research, many educational professionals remain unaware of the correct actions to take to build trusting relationships with students at risk as “educational programs for children often do not set a high priority on building student-teacher or student-student relationships. Instead, they focus on developing a range of academic skills” (Hamre & Pianta, 2006, p. 49). Educators throughout the 1980s and 1990s stressed the importance

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