Teachers Do Make a Difference : The Teacher's Guide to Connecting with Students

Closing the achievement gap and creating high-performing schools depends not on what we teach but how we teach. The most powerful and effective way teachers can help students overcome negative influences in their environment as well as succeed in becoming their best selves is by developing close and caring connections with them.

Developing quality relationships with students is key to their healthy development. Teachers DO Make a Difference gives teachers strategies, guidelines, and real-life examples of how to build and enrich close and trusting teacher-student relationships. This important new resource covers key topics including:

• Setting high expectations for students
• Conveying confidence in student capabilities
• Creating classroom rituals and traditions
• Networking with family and community
• Developing strong interpersonal skills
• Identifying relational resources
• Communicating appropriate caring and respect in the classroom

Healthy connections with teachers are associated with a decrease in behavioral problems and an increase in social and academic skills. The relationships we develop with our students are at the heart of how we make a difference.

Judy Deiro, Ph.D., has been a full-time faculty member at Western Washington University since Fall, 1997. In her 40+year career, she has worked as a teacher, counselor, and education consultant. Some positions she has occupied include vocational rehabilitation counselor, state women’s prison counselor, chemical dependency counselor, and full-time postsecondary teacher and counselor. As a consultant, she has given numerous presentations nationwide and internationally on healthy teaching and parenting strategies for the prevention of high-risk behaviors. Judy’s passion is for facilitating healthy understanding and collaboration between human services and education in order to promote student success.

Judy is a recipient of the Washington State Chemical Dependency Educator of the Year’s Award, the Washington State Exemplary Women in Community College’s Award, and the Whatcom Community College Full-Time Faculty Excellence Award. She also has been awarded Who’s Who in America by the Marquis Board of Publications.