Relationships

Feb 3 2020

Bus Stop Qualms: How Do We Balance Human Connection & Technology

By |2023-05-09T12:32:30-04:00February 3rd, 2020|

I drove down the end of my street a few weeks ago, and I looked ahead to see a bunch of lanky, awkward middle school students waiting for their bus. As I slowly got closer and closer to the group of students, I began reminiscing on my own bus stop experience. The merger of the bus stop brought so many different kids together who wouldn’t always mix by choice, so it was always a time that was a bit uncomfortable for me growing up, particularly because I was forced to congregate with one particular kid who would be legally classified as a bully in today’s world. Although he never bullied me specifically, I remember the brutal uncomfortable moments in which all of us at the bus stop had to navigate those cruel words often directed at the younger kid who didn’t quite fit in or know how to defend himself.

Nov 12 2019

Building Stronger Relationships with Students Requires Relational Trust

By |2023-05-09T12:32:32-04:00November 12th, 2019|

We are in the business of cultivating successful people. In order to do this, we must put each student first every single day to ensure that their human needs are met by truly knowing each and everyone of them. Student success cannot happen without a strong teacher-student relationship, and at the core of this relationship, is trust. Students who have trust in their educator show greater confidence in themselves, stronger student engagement, and exhibit greater achievement. Trust, or relational trust in education parlance, is built over time through interactions and experiences. Therefore, it is imperative we create relationships from the very first moment of the first day of school.

Apr 8 2019

Stop, Collaborate and Listen

By |2023-05-09T12:32:35-04:00April 8th, 2019|

Young. Gifted. Black. I remember as a youth hearing others speak of me as an intellectual but completely rough around the edges.  The truth was, I was a high risk student by all measures - I grew up in an impoverished one-parent household in a rough inner city neighborhood where some temptations swallowed other boys like me.  I survived, but by all measures I probably shouldn’t be where I am today - excelling as a successful father, husband, and educator. How did I do it?

Nov 28 2018

The Role of Adults in Facilitating Positive, Prosocial Youth Development

By |2023-05-09T12:32:38-04:00November 28th, 2018|

We recently had the opportunity to attend SRCD’s special topic session: Promoting Character Development Among Diverse Children and Adolescents. The conference touched on many things we, here at TransformEd, believe in deeply and work to integrate not only into our work with educators but also into our own lives, as parents to little ones.

Oct 13 2017

Rubber Bracelets, Birthdays, and Wonder

By |2023-05-09T12:32:44-04:00October 13th, 2017|

What does social emotional learning look like in the elementary school classroom? How do students develop the mindsets, essential skills and habits necessary for success in school, and in life? Social emotional learning is everywhere. It is all the time. It is invisible, yet you can see it everywhere you turn. And it is essential. Social emotional learning unfolded during the first 20 days of the school year for me and my 3rd graders in Wilmington, Delaware in many ways.

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