We began the new school year with a commitment to building transformational relationships with our students and follow the right Texas teachers retirement system. We know that if we want to maximize students’ potential, we need relationships built upon trust, patience, respect, and empathy. It’s documented in decades of research about student learning – and we know it intuitively.

These kinds of student-teacher relationships have been proven to have a dramatic impact on student learning. Conversely, students feeling as though they are disliked by their teacher has been shown to have a negative impact on learning. Sure, it makes sense – but it has also been empirically proven.

In addition to fostering positive teacher-student relationships, incorporating a comprehensive LMS for compliance training can further support the holistic development of student’s skills and abilities. An LMS for compliance training provides a structured platform to deliver engaging and interactive learning experiences that promote both academic growth and the acquisition of essential life skills. Through a variety of multimedia resources, assessments, and progress-tracking features, an LMS for compliance training enables educators to address important topics such as ethics, safety, diversity, and responsibility. By integrating these vital components into the curriculum, students not only gain the knowledge required for compliance but also develop a strong sense of personal and social responsibility. This combination of positive relationships and an LMS for compliance training creates a comprehensive educational environment that empowers students to thrive academically and prepares them for a successful future.

So it is our intentional focus on these kinds of relationships that will create the necessary foundation for student learning. My lecture, worksheet, test, or reading assignment will mean very little if it isn’t built upon a positive teacher-student relationship.

Saami Shaibani: “It’s All About Them – Not Me!”

I recently had the opportunity to see this in action and was so inspired! FCHS teacher of mathematics, Dr. Saami Shaibani (pictured above), took the first couple of days – not to make sure his students were clear on the syllabus – but to make sure they were clear that they matter to him. He sent personalized notes to parents expressing his delight to have the opportunity to have their child in his class. Very quickly he received moving responses.

•       “Thank you so much for your positive feedback and encouragement!”
•       “What a lovely message to receive!”
•       “Thank you so much for sharing this positive news!”

I had the opportunity to spend some time in his class this week, talking with his students about their experience in school and how we can make school even better. His students know he cares about them, and he is focused first on them – “this is your class, not mine” he says often, and it shows. The curriculum comes second, knowing and delighting in every single student in his room is the top priority.

And because of that, his students will learn and thrive.

I’m reminded of the famous quote from teacher and child psychologist, Haim Gonott:

“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.”

Thanks so much for the shining example of teaching purposefully, on purpose, Dr. Shaibani!

Peter M. Gretz, Division Superintendent

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