Try to make sure your kids know you are thinking of them, care for them, and miss them. For kids with access to technology, simple daily hellos via video might be the only time the student sees the teacher on some days—and that sense of connection is important to sustain. Routines that foster connection are a core part of classroom life, and finding ways for students to experience these at home will go a long way toward easing students’ transition to home-based learning. “If you do morning meeting, reflect on the elements you have in your meeting and what could be completed virtually at home,” writes Thomas. “If technology allows, record and share daily video announcements and read-alouds.” In a traditional classroom setting, students who arrive to class early may chat with their teachers and friends while getting seated and ready for class. This is often the time where teachers catch up with students about the score from their soccer match, or what movie they watched over the weekend, or how things are going with their family situation at home. On a computer screen, these informal conversations are difficult and awkward; what you say to one kid will be heard by all, so private chats are totally ruled out. The same goes for students who are used to sitting with their friends and whispering comments or advice to each other during class. Students can’t ask their friends for math help or verify the page number in The House on Mango Street without outing themselves to the entire class. That is a huge barrier for developing both student-teacher relationships and student-student relationships. Possible solution: Getting comfortable with “waiting rooms” or “breakout rooms” on your video conference system can help combat this struggle and give you needed one-on-one time with students. You can also use GoogleDocs, discussion threads, or chat features to give students a place to interact with each other during class in a productive manner. Without being together, you can’t engage your students with activities involving physical movement or choral response.

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Tips for Remotely Building Relationships with Students Offer opportunities for students to share about themselves. ... Show your face and share your stories. ... Build a virtual classroom “space” ... Have a presence and establish a routine. ... Host informal meet-ups with students. ... Check in with students frequently.

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