Rapport, according to dictionary.com is “a relation, especially one characterized by sympathetic understanding, emotional affinity, or mutual trust. “ Good teachers usually have rapport with their students.
When my daughter was in Kindergarten, she started having problems in school. (Even though she had attended two and a half years of preschool) I began to dread Fridays, when she would bring home her weekly report. Her problems were always behavioral. She spoke too much, or out of turn. She fidgeted and did not pay attention. She distracted other children. The subject of ADHD came up.
Then something happened in February of that year. There was an altercation between two children and she was the only witness. Therefore, the teacher questioned her. When the questioning continued to a point where my child felt the teacher did not believe her, my daughter asked the next question. She said, “Have I ever lied to you?” The teacher replied, “No”. “Then why would I start now?” she asked. The teacher laughed and hugged her. I do not know if the problem with the other two children was ever resolved, but from that moment on, my daughter and the teacher had rapport. She understood my child and my child knew how to deal with her. There were few negative reports after that.
My daughter’s case was rare. It normally takes about 2 months for the teacher and class to gain rapport as a whole. As far as I am concerned however, two months is two months too long. Yes, I realize I am asking the impossible here, but understanding a child is the first step to teaching a child. Without this understanding, all actions, movements, and motivations will be questioned. While I know this is a natural life occurrence that everyone goes through (meeting, and getting to know new people) I do not feel that it should be a necessary part of education. In my opinion, between the time it takes to review old information, and the whole getting-to-know-you process, the first two months of the school year are wasted.
I prefer my kids be taught primarily by someone who knows them, or in a situation where the teacher can gain rapport with them quickly. I believe that with proper rapport, a lot of needless conflict and wasted time is avoided.
(This essay is an exercise in vocabulary. I encourage you to pick a new word each day and have your children to write an essay. Choose the number of required words according to grade level, age, or ability. Perhaps you will want to do this exercise yourself.) Read my other vocabulary words of the day: This syncretism, autodidact, extreme and mediocrity.