Volunteer Work

I feel the best way to create and grow relationships with your students, you need to be willing to do some "volunteer work." I am not talking about going to the local food shelf or your nearby boys and girls club. I am referring to that time during your day where there are no students. Yes, the time that is set aside for you to complete your planning and preparing for the day, afternoon, rest of the week, weeks to come or even time for you to shut off your teaching brain and do something completely unrelated. Well, as all of these things are important and valuable for you as a teacher and a human being, I am saying that taking a little time each day or week to spend connecting with your students. Three times a week, I go around through the 3rd and 4th grade rooms and ask the teachers for 3 or 4 students who have been on task to come to the gym and play some extra games or a big game of football. Its amazing to see the kids faces and the level excitement they have when they get to come for what I have called the "jump start program." I have been doing this for about 8 weeks and to prove it does amazing things, I have teachers coming to me and thanking me constantly and saying how excited the students are and how much they look forward to you surprising us by coming in. Well, for the past two weeks, I have not went to go get students, because I am rewarding classes for a in class competition we had before Christmas break. 5 classes, one from each grade get to come in for extra gym... so scheduling gets tough. I have had so many kids come by and ask "when does the jump start program start again." They want to play real bad and I hear it all the time, "the kids listen to you because you teach gym." I think it is more about the fact that I take time to do extra volunteer work.