How Does Student and Teacher Relationships impact motivation in the classroom?

One thing that I would like to acknowledge right off the bat is the fact that many of these elite schools have the ability to have a great student-to-teacher ratio that allows students to become close with their teachers. At the Olive Grove Academy, a boarding school in Jordan, many of the students feel that being able to connect with their teachers on a deeper level allows them to excel in the classroom. For instance, during my research it was stated that if this one particular student didn’t have such a tight bond with his teacher he would have dropped the class because he was struggling. The teacher that he had was able to support him throughout the class and give him extra attention which allowed him to get his grade from a C/D to an A.

(https://kpfun.tumblr.com/post/121049152851)

Fostering a learning space like this would allow for students to get out of their comfort zone because teachers won’t be as critical of their students’ work and instead they will help when the student is struggling. The idea of having a bond with your teachers is something that might be hard to produce just due to the class size and school size but if the teacher is willing to build these relationships it would allow for students to learn in a stress free environment because they will be more willing to take risks. In my own experience going to a school similar to Olive Grove Academy, the reason for my success was the ability to connect with the teacher in and out of the classroom. They want to see you have success in your academic career and they are willing to go the extra mile to support you in any way possible.

On the other hand, this could be seen as a risky way to run a classroom because if students know that the teacher will help them on every assignment that they need help then we would have to ask the question of whether or not the students’ motivation will persist through the year. How can we find the balance between wanting to learn aka student engagement but also providing enough support to help the students who are struggling with certain material? From personal experience I have had teachers that really want to help me do better in their class but when I went for “help” it seemed more like them feeding me the answers which was helpful in the moment but it didn’t allow for any personal growth in the class. My grade improved but that wasn’t because I was really understanding the material better but I was just getting assistance from my teachers. Finding that balance is something that is really important that way the student actually understands the material.

Time to get back to thinking about the elite schooling structure and how that allows for students to create fantastic bonds with their teachers. I think you are more likely to find teachers that are more willing to create those relationships with their students. However, it makes me question if that is because of the pressure from their administrators because these schools are very expensive and they need to make sure the families are happy. There is a business side of all these schools that I feel gets overlooked by many. Similar to college they are in the business of making money and they will do anything to make that happen. I am sure that some teachers do create relationships out of the kindness of their hearts but some might be doing it just to make sure the school is happy with them.